共ともに６０代だいのヤモリのペア、ニュージーランドで発見はっけん　世界せかい最さい高齢こうれいか

Both the 64-year-old Antoinette and the 60-year-old Blue Sea Baby are slender and have bony bodies.

The skin is sagging more than when I was young, but those eyes still shine and are full of energy.

What were talking about here is not your everyday person in their 60s.

They are geckos and are considered the oldest in the world on record

Discovered on a small island in New Zealand

The team, including expert on reptiles and amphibians, Marieke Lettink, found this pair of Waitaha geckos on Motunau Island off the coast of New Zealands South Island.

He said the discovery was a moment of excitement.

These animals are older than us, yet they live by doing what they need to do.

I feel humbled when I realize that.

The team has been surveying the island every five years.

By setting traps around the small island during each survey, we were able to catch hundreds of geckos in a few days.

Since geckos are nocturnal, the team also explores in the dark with flashlights in hand.

I looked for geckos among the leaves and bushes.

In the 1960s, when the research began, the late conservationist Tony Whitaker started marking the geckos on the island.

Marking was done by cutting a certain number of geckos toes.

Currently, New Zealands conservation authorities do not adopt this method called toe clipping

The person who marked Antoinette and Blue Sea Baby was Mr. Whitaker, and these geckos are named after himself and his fellow conservationist, Mr. Bruce Thomas.

Thanks to the marking, Mr. Letting was able to identify the two animals

The discovery of the two animals was an emotional moment for Letting, who recalled thinking of Mr. Whittaker.

Since both geckos were adults at the time they were marked, their actual ages may be higher than the recorded 60 and 64 years.

The average lifespan of geckos worldwide is significantly shorter than that of two individuals, being only around 10 years.

It was also discovered this time that the Waitaha gecko is among the longest-living species even among other long-lived lizard relatives.

Most of these lizards are larger and more well-known species, such as iguanas and Komodo dragons.

One reason the Waitaha gecko lives so long is due to several factors.

The fact that there are no external enemies on Motsunau Island is significant

Thanks to the fact that no new species entered at all, the indigenous animals did not drastically decrease as they did throughout the main islands of New Zealand.

In addition, factors such as the cool climate and island lifestyle are pointed out by Caitlin Rees, a biodiversity conservation officer at the nature conservation authority, in a press release.

He is part of Lettings research team.

As a matter of fact, the team had met Antoinette about 10 years ago.

I thought that would be the last time.