Tuatara are special reptiles. Although they look a bit like lizards, they actually belong to a completely different group (order Rhynchocephalia).

Only two groups of lizards are found wild in New Zealand — skinks, with smooth shiny skin, and geckos, with baggy skin and sticky feet that can stick to almost anything.

New Zealand has several species of endemic frogs. These are unusual, in that they don't croak and don't rely on open water — their tadpoles remain inside the egg and hatch as mini frogs. We also have three species of exotic frogs introduced from Australia.