Hoplodactylus delcourti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hoplodactylus delcourti |
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Hoplodactylus
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delcourti
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Hoplodactylus delcourti, often called the kawekaweau or Delcourt's giant gecko, was an amazing lizard that used to live in New Zealand. It was the biggest gecko ever known! This giant gecko could grow to be at least 600 mm (23.6 in) (about 2 feet) long, including its tail. Sadly, this special gecko is now extinct.
Contents
Discovering the Giant Gecko
The story of the kawekaweau is quite mysterious.
A Maori Chief's Story
In 1870, a Māori chief shared an interesting tale. He said he found a kawekaweau under the bark of a dead rata tree in the forests of the Waimana Valley in New Zealand. He described the lizard as "brownish with reddish stripes" and "as thick as a man's wrist." This is the only known story of someone seeing this giant gecko alive. We don't know for sure if his story was true, but it adds to the mystery of this creature.
The Museum Mystery
Many years later, in 1986, a single stuffed gecko specimen was found in the basement of the Natural History Museum of Marseille, France. No one knew where it came from or when it was collected because it didn't have a label! Scientists studied it and thought it might be the lost "kawekaweau" from New Zealand. This made the gecko even more famous.
Searching for Answers
Scientists tried to get DNA from the museum specimen in 1994, but they weren't successful. Technology for studying old DNA has gotten much better since then, so maybe one day they could try again. Some experts, like Trevor Worthy, think the specimen might actually be from an island in New Caledonia instead of New Zealand. This is because no fossils of this giant gecko have been found in New Zealand yet.
Naming the Gecko
The scientific name delcourti comes from Alain Delcourt. He was the French museum worker who found the forgotten gecko specimen in the basement of the Natural History Museum of Marseille. This gecko belongs to a group of geckos that are active at night and are usually brown. These types of geckos are found in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.
See also
In Spanish: Gecko de Delcourt para niños
