Considered the holy grail of New Zealand herpetology, the Cupola Gecko is so rare that lizard scientists only whisper about it in dark alleyways, wondering if it even exists.
But last week two dedicated lizard hunters found not 1 but 4 of the elusive geckos under a rock in the Cupola Basin in Nelson Lakes National Park. DOC is now working with local iwi Ngati Apa ki te Rā Tō to ramp up efforts to find more so we can protect this rare species.
Cupola gecko Photo: Ben Barr with permission
