Reptiles of New Zealand

The tuatara looks like a lizard, but is not one.
Jewelled gecko
Otago skink
Yellow-bellied sea snake
Mauisaurus haasti, a plesiosaur

The extant (living) reptiles of New Zealand consist of numerous species of terrestrial lizards and the lizard-like tuatara, and several species of sea turtles and sea snakes.[1] All but one species are native to New Zealand, and all but one of the terrestrial species are endemic to New Zealand, that is, they are not found in any other country. Many species of foreign reptiles enter New Zealand through accidental importation or smuggling,[2] but only the Australian native Lampropholis delicata (rainbow skink or plague skink) has become established in the wild,[1][2] and it is considered an invasive pest.[3]

Long-extinct taxa include numerous dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles that are known from fossils found in New Zealand.

  1. ^ a b Conservation Status of New Zealand Reptiles, 2021 (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series 35. Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Gill, B. J.; Bejakovich, D.; Whitaker, A. H. (2001). "Records of foreign reptiles and amphibians accidentally imported to New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 28 (3): 351–352. doi:10.1080/03014223.2001.9518274. S2CID 85031652.
  3. ^ "Plague skinks". Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Retrieved 20 August 2023.