More than three years of work by an Alexandra mum of three has culminated in a book about New Zealand’s unique geckos and skinks to be launched next month.

Anna Yeoman moved to Alexandra 10 years ago and began to learn about lizards when she studied science communication through distance learning at the University of Otago.

Initially she worked on the website for Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary (MDS), but she was enlisted to help with a lizard survey one day by MDS and the Department of Conservation.

She said after spotting her first grand skink (mokomoko) on the schist rocks she “was blown away by them”.

Anna said she became “super enthused” and spent time as a MDS volunteer “wandering around, surveying skinks, photographing markings of skinks, with a baby on my back.”

“It was hugely enjoyable. I was hooked from that first moment.

“It changed for me seeing them close up . . . they’ve got gorgeous dark eyes. The babies are quite cute . . . almost wobbly like a newborn.

“Holding a jewelled gecko, you can see its toes wrap around your fingers. That was a powerful moment for me, holding them up close.”

She gradually met more herpetologists (amphibian and reptile scientists), and photographers of lizards and learned fascinating stories about how lizards are living, or the discovery of individual species.

Anna, daughter Emily and a jewelled gecko a few years ago. PHOTO: Ross Curtis

She said she wrote a couple of articles about lizards for Forest and Bird and other outlets.

“There were so many books on our native birds with beautiful photos and there was no lizard equivalent.”

Anna wanted to tell the human story behind the lizards to fill the knowledge gap for people.

She said historically lizards were not as loved as birds possibly because they were perceived as “cold blooded” and hard to find.

“They are quiet and their lifestyle relies on them being good at disappearing.”

The result is a book she worked on in the evenings or when her children were at school and daycare.

She said her eldest, a 10-year-old, is reading and enjoying it, and learning about the strange things lizards are doing to survive in the cold Central climate.

Anna’s aim is to get people thinking about how to keep geckos and skinks safe from their predators, including mice, cats, stoats and hedgehogs.

“[We] need to figure out good ways to protect them . . . behind fences or with predator control.

“Some species are critically endangered and only 20 have ever been spotted. It is a time is ticking kind of thing.” 

Find out more about Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary.

Read more: Public asked to help locate rooks