Everyone has heard of the tuatara, New Zealand's unique 'living dinosaur'; but equally fascinating, if less well known, are the country's other reptiles. There are more than 65 species of lizards (including skinks and geckos), frogs and other reptiles and amphibians native to New Zealand, and scientists such as author Tony Jewell are still discovering new species and subspecies today. In this new addition to a popular New Holland series, Tony covers all the known species from Northland to the far south; his text is backed up by outstanding photographs of their many geographic colour variants, so that readers will be equipped to identify almost any specimen encountered in the wild. A groundbreaking handbook and a superb aid for natural history enthusiasts, trampers and educationalists.

Author Biography

Tony Jewell is a self-taught herpetologist whose passion for studying reptiles, amphibians and insects has led to a fruitful career as an author, consultant and photographer working closely with, among others, the Department of Conservation (DoC). He has discovered two lizard species, the Takitimu gecko and Sinbad skink, and has authored books including Identifying Geckos in Otago (DoC publication)and Central Otago Lizards (privately published), as well as several scientific papers, field reports, and features for a number of magazines including New Zealand Geographic and Forest and Bird. Tony lives near Ranfurly. Rod Morris is one of New Zealand's most talented natural history film-makers and photographers. He has authored several books in his field, including New Zealand Nature (New Holland).