World’s oldest gecko found in North Canterbury

Date:  27 March 2025

The two Waitaha geckos were first discovered and marked in 1967 and 1969 by late Herpetologist Tony Whitaker. His detailed record-keeping allowed Department of Conservation staff to accurately date their ages.

DOC Biodiversity Ranger Kaitlyn Leeds says the geckos were found during a five-yearly species monitoring visit to Motunau Island.

“We were all blown away to find two of the original marked lizards! We found “Antoinette” (named in honour of Tony Whitaker) first and dated her at 64 years plus and then found the second one called “Brucie-Baby” (Tony’s nickname for his co-worker and conservation legend, Bruce Thomas) and dated her at 60.”

The age record for the Waitaha gecko was previously 53 years with a gecko found on the same island in 2015. Dating geckos on Motunau Island is only possible due to Tony Whitaker individually marking 133 geckos with unique “toe-clip identification” when he started lizard monitoring between 1965 and 1967.

“We no longer toe clip these lizards but it did give us an opportunity to learn how long individual geckos can live for. It’s just amazing they’ve existed on this postage stamp of an island since before the moon landing” says Biodiversity Ranger Allanah Purdie who was also on the island for the visit.

Marieke Lettink, who is a Herpetologist and has been going out to the island for twenty years, says the geckos really buck the trend globally living for such a long time and it was a career highlight to find these two.

“They really are remarkable. I didn’t hold out any expectations that we would find two of Tony’s old mates still living. In global terms, these native geckos are just so unique. We know of no other species of gecko living so long – the average around the world for gecko is only a decade.”

Kaitlyn Leeds says Antoinette and Brucie-Baby look pretty good for their age.

“They do look a bit skinnier with looser skin but to be honest, you wouldn’t know they were 60+ years old! Interestingly, female geckos, like female humans tend to live longer than males. It’s also got a lot to do with being in a cool climate on a predator free island. Maybe it’s also their lifestyle”, she laughs, “lapping up the salty air! But in all seriousness, it does make you think about the impacts of predation and comparative longevity for our reptiles on mainland NZ.”

Waitaha geckos are classified as at risk and in decline. They are mostly found in lowland Canterbury, usually in rocky places that provide warmth and refuge from predators.

Allanah Purdie says she feels privileged to be able to study the geckos.

"These geckos are such an important part of our native landscape. We have such unique species in New Zealand, and these two are now world record holders. I’m hoping that we find Antoinette and Brucie-Baby when we do our next visit to the island in five years. Who knows how long these two will live for.”

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