Story: Lizards

Common green geckos (1st of 2)

Common green geckos

These newborn common green geckos (Naultinus elegans) hatched and were incubated inside their mother, an adaptation to living in a relatively cool climate – most geckos in other parts of the world lay eggs. Geckos are thought to have been on New Zealand when it broke away from Gondwana, 85 million years ago. DNA research indicates that New Zealand’s 37 gecko species evolved from a common ancestor that lived 25–35 million years ago.

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Ryan Photographic
Photograph by Paddy Ryan

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How to cite this page:

Kerry-Jayne Wilson, 'Lizards - Appearance and life cycle', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/13516/common-green-geckos (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Kerry-Jayne Wilson, published 24 Sep 2007, updated 1 Mar 2014