Wellington Green Gecko

The Wellington Green Gecko (Naultinus punctatus) is a species of gecko found only in the southern half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Auckland green gecko and together called the common green gecko. It inhabits scrub and forested places arboreally, particularly kanuka and manuka. It enjoys sunbathing in addition to its nocturnal moth and flies hunting. It behaves aggressively, baring its open blue mouth and barking when startled.

Wellington green geckos can grow to be fairly large and are green with light green, white, or yellow dots along their backs. In contrast to common geckos and forest geckos, which have pink and orange mouths, respectively, the inside of this species' mouth is a brilliant blue color. Although green geckos are undoubtedly the most breathtakingly beautiful lizards in New Zealand, they are very infrequently seen due to their effective camouflage and diminishing populations.