A new species of gecko has been discovered along Auckland's west coast.
The Korowai, as it'll be known, has a population of just 32 individuals - but it's hoped with the help of conservationists and caring locals, these endangered animals can begin to thrive.
"[It's] really special in where it's found and then the markings are... unique as well - the way it has those special stripes on its back," said Melinda Rixon, a senior ecologist at Auckland Council.
The endangered species has officially been named by local iwi as the Korowai.
"It tells you about the location where the gecko is found, up the peninsula there," said Malcolm Paterson, of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara.
"But also, we felt that it was reflective of the appearance. The markings on its back are not dissimilar... to some of the markings found on certain kinds of traditional cloaks, or Korowai, he added.
Auckland Council has just completed a five-year monitoring program to learn more about the animal, its population and habitat preferences. The council has been comparing it to other local species it's been mistaken for in the past.
The 32 Korowai found since they were re-discovered back in 2014 are one of the most geographically challenged animals - only identified along part of west Auckland's coastline.
"To be honest, we... need 10 years' worth of data before we can even figure out whether the population is stable, whether it's increasing or it's decreasing," Rixon told Newshub.
But they do know the species is incredibly vulnerable to predators and locals too.
"And so, when people do go off the beach itself into the dunes, that's destroying that habitat, either indirectly affecting those animals, but sometimes directly," said Rixon.
"They're not going to thrive with people ripping and busting up into the dune country where they're found," Paterson told Newshub. "That's why [the] council and we are encouraging people to show that good behaviour on the beach," he added.
