# Awesome New Zealand Gecko's



## PilbaraPythons (Sep 16, 2005)

Aren't these just the coolest looking gecko's. They are fully diurnal.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2005)

Yeah they are cool for sure. They look awesome do you know how big thry get?


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 16, 2005)

From memory the ones I used to keep were about 7 inches total length but there are a few different species of green gecko's in New Zealand and therefore they probably vary. An interesting thing about them is that they are live bearers and have the longest gestation period of any gecko in the world, up to a year.


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## NCHERPS (Sep 16, 2005)

Pilbara,
They are amazing, very impressive geckos, I have ever seen a picture of these before.
What sort of habitat are they found in? Are they the same colour as adults or do they change as they mature? 
How many young would one typically give birth to?

Neil


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 16, 2005)

Neil 
I have never known these gecko's to have any more than two in a litter but I could be wrong in assuming that this is thier maximum number. As far as the young changing thier colour as they mature I have not noticed any significant differences. You do occassionally find specimens that are completely yellow and they are unbelievable and have the same intense fluro look that babys Condros exhibit except with the gecko's, they stay that colour.
As far as habitat goes they are usually found in low tea tree scrub and are unfortuantely under threat due to scrub cutters that cut it down to clear land.


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 16, 2005)

Typical yellow morph found north of Auckland


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## SLACkra (Sep 16, 2005)

hmm only reason i would want to move to newzealand, funky geckos! 

whats their licencing situation like?


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 17, 2005)

slackra
My understanding is that as reptiles are now protected fauna in New Zealand you need a licence to hold them.
It is how ever not legal to sell them and they are usually just given away by breeders to new keepers that are licenced. When I kept them 35 years ago they were not then protected and I caught my own and including species that were back then not yet known. In those days it was rare to find any body that kept them and also in my area rare to find them in the wild.


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## olivehydra (Sep 17, 2005)

Choice Bro :wink:


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## NCHERPS (Sep 17, 2005)

PilbaraPythons said:


> Neil
> I have never known these gecko's to have any more than two in a litter but I could be wrong in assuming that this is thier maximum number. As far as the young changing thier colour as they mature I have not noticed any significant differences. You do occassionally find specimens that are completely yellow and they are unbelievable and have the same intense fluro look that babys Condros exhibit except with the gecko's, they stay that colour.
> As far as habitat goes they are usually found in low tea tree scrub and are unfortuantely under threat due to scrub cutters that cut it down to clear land.




Thanks for the info, They have got to be the best looking gecko that I have seen, and I have seen alot of exotic's!
I hope the NZ goverment protects them from habitat destruction, it would be an increadible loss if they were to disappear.

Neil


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## iceman (Sep 17, 2005)

very nice dave.


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## The Rock (Sep 17, 2005)

They are supposed to be some of the most sort after geckos world wide, the south island golds are one of the worlds rarest. Awsome animals. Then again all us kiwis are awsome animals. :lol:


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## Jules (Sep 17, 2005)

olivehydra said:


> Choice Bro :wink:


lmao


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## Jonathon (Sep 17, 2005)

They're stunning geckos! I love the yellow morph


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## Jason (Sep 17, 2005)

they look cool i want some.


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## herptrader (Sep 17, 2005)

It ain't easy being green ;-)

I suppose you expect that sort of camo colouration in a diurnal species.

They look spectacular.

Love geckos!


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 17, 2005)

They are great gecko's to exhibit as they become extremely tame quickly and don't seem to want to hide. When I would enter the room and open the small feeding hatch they would all scramble over to my hand and take white butterflys from it. If I could keep these legally over here I would be a very happy soul.


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 17, 2005)

enjoy


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## saikrett (Sep 17, 2005)

don't suppose you managed to keep a tuatara or 2??


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 17, 2005)

No mate I was in the wrong area to find those. And I am sure that the Tuatara was protected even 35 years ago.


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## saikrett (Sep 17, 2005)

too bad, i saw some in the museum on the south island, cool creatures


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## redline (Sep 17, 2005)

can we buy them here?


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2005)

redline said:


> can we buy them here?



Nope. 

Its probably one of very few kiwis that we WONT let in the country!! LMAO


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## The Rock (Sep 18, 2005)

Its us Kiwis that make Australia the great country that it is today.!!!!!!


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## PilbaraPythons (Sep 18, 2005)

Cut it out Rock all you are doing is inviting the old sheep jokes to be posted.


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## deathinfire (Sep 18, 2005)

Northland green geckos !!!!!!!!!!! they look like skinny little frogs  

I want !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## deathinfire (Sep 18, 2005)

Just read that geckos can reproduce by parthenogenesis (without fertilization) if males are absent.

What the hell does that mean??? can someone please explain?


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## herptrader (Sep 18, 2005)

deathinfire said:


> Just read that geckos can reproduce by parthenogenesis (without fertilization) if males are absent.
> 
> What the hell does that mean??? can someone please explain?



They basically clone themselves. The population can be all female and reproduce without contact with males.

Each offspring is genetically identical to its parent.

Australia's Bynoe's geckos have populations that reproduce sexually and by parthenogenisis.


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## deathinfire (Sep 18, 2005)

herptrader said:


> deathinfire said:
> 
> 
> > Just read that geckos can reproduce by parthenogenesis (without fertilization) if males are absent.
> ...



Sweet thanks for explaining that  

So does that mean that the offspring are mainly female or both (male or female)??


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## Hickson (Sep 18, 2005)

Male offspring can only be produced sexually - because the male parent provides the male genetic material. Parthenogenesis is where the unfertilised ova in the parent female is _activated _- it cleaves and starts dividing in exactly the way it would if it was fertilised. These unfertilised activated ova eventually develop into identical copies of the parent, all female. 



Hix


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