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Lizards anonymous
Many of our skinks and geckos are so new to science that they don’t even have names. Much of what we do know about our lizards is thanks to an amateur herpetologist from Invercargill with no academic training. What can you discover about lizards today?
FOR YOUNGER READERS: If you’re finding the story tricky, just look at the pictures and figure out what story the photographer is trying to tell.
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Talking points
Try discussing these ideas with your family at home or over video conferencing. Find ways to involve as many people as possible, especially those who you know are isolated by the lock-down.
- What do you notice about the interesting body parts on the geckos in the story? (Such as toes, eyes, mouths and ears.)
- Why do you think these geckos are coloured the way they are? How would it help them?
- What do you notice about the people looking for lizards in the pictures. Does it look like a job you would like to do? Why or why not?
- What are some of the ways we can help lizards?
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Task for the day
Go outside and look around your garden to see how lizard-friendly it is. Can lizards hide in your garden? Are there invertebrates and fruit for it to eat? Use this DOC website to help you learn about what lizards need. Did you know you can build a lizard habitat yourself! Loosely arrange bricks, wood and anything like broken pieces of concrete into a pile. Cover with corrugated iron or a piece of wood if you have any. Build it in a safe, quiet corner—on a fence-line works well.
If you have more time, do your own drawing of two geckos. Send the picture to your teacher!
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