Norfolk Island: Lizards

Overview

Norfolk Island lies around 1,600 kilometres north-east of Sydney, in the South Pacific Ocean. Besides the main island, home to a population of nearly 2,000, the Norfolk group comprises the uninhabited Phillip and Nepean Islands, as well as numerous small rocky islets.

This remote oceanic territory is home to two native species of land reptile, both of which are also evident on Lord Howe Island, where they were first described in the late 19th century. They are the Lord Howe Island Skink (Oligosoma lichenigera) and Lord Howe Island Gecko (Christinus guentheri), which are listed as vulnerable in state and federal legislation and are on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Neither species inhabits the Norfolk’s main island, probably due to the presence of Polynesian and Black Rats, but both are found on Phillip Island; the gecko has also been observed on Nepean Island and the rocky islets of Moo’oo Stone, Green Pool Stone and Bird Rock. The main threats to both species are rats, cats and the introduced Asian House Gecko.

Technical specifications