Short Communication

Little is known about the impacts of fire on New Zealand’s lizard fauna. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the direct impact of fire and subsequent loss of habitat are drastically negative for arboreal and grassland species. The impact of fire on saxicolous (ground-dwelling) species is less understood and difficult to presume given we understand little about the protective nature of rocky refugia and species’ reliance on fire-susceptible habitat.

The current COVID-19 pandemic emphasises the dramatic consequences of emerging zoonotic pathogens and stimulates the need for an assessment of the evolution and natural cycle of such microbes in a “One Health” framework. A number of recent studies have revealed an astonishing diversity of bat-borne coronaviruses, including in insular environments, which can be considered as simplified biological systems suited for the exploration of the transmission cycles of these viruses in nature.

European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in New Zealand are considered a pest species due to their impacts on native species and are targeted in trapping programmes.

Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) moult affects the application of glued tags used to monitor activity. Considering the possible effects of climate change on leopard seal activity and climate on pinniped moult, we assessed aspects of leopard seal moult in a warm region (New Zealand) of their range for the first time. Moult pelage colours resembled that found in their primary range and indicated a progressive degeneration akin to that of the pre-moult of other pinnipeds. Unexpectedly, pelage loss commonly resulted in black areas, that may be skin or short dark post-moult pelage.

The main drivers of lizard population declines in Aotearoa New Zealand are habitat loss and introduced predators. Therefore, habitat enhancement could be useful for mitigating declines, but there is little information on how Aotearoa’s lizards respond to these interventions. We examined whether novel habitats created by ten c. 375 m3 constructed rock piles would be used by McCann’s skinks (Oligosoma maccani), southern grass skinks (O. aff. polychroma Clade 5), and kōrero geckos (Woodworthia “Otago/Southland large”).

Fruit is an important component in the diet of many lizards, but their role as seed dispersers is often overlooked. Seed retention time and animal movement determine how far a fleshy fruited seed will be dispersed from the parent plant. Seed retention times were investigated in 78 captive Hoplodactylus duvaucelii (Duvaucel’s geckos). Geckos were offered fruits from 10 plant species. Fifty-one geckos consumed fruits and the mean seed retention time was 69 hours (range 31 to 145 hours).

Understanding rates of reinvasion is critical for determining what drives ship rat population recovery following large-scale control operations. We radio-tracked 23 adult ship rats on the edge of a forested area where rats had been suppressed by aerial compound 1080 in the Hollyford Valley, Fiordland. Eleven individuals died within two months of collaring and two individuals were never detected again, leaving us with data from 10 rats.