One of
these lizards, the Kumi lizard, was apparently of impressive size.
When
Cook arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound,
in 1773, Tawaihura a local chief told Cook of an enormous lizard and gave him
a drawing of the beast.
These
giant lizards apparently lived in the trees and were greatly feared by the Maori.
There
were also reports however, given to the early European settlers of a 5-6 ft lizard which the Maori also hunt and ate.
In 1875
a strange lizard like animal had been found in a flooded river in Hokianga.
The local
Maori, out of fear of the animal, hacked it to pieces.
From
the same area emerged the reported sighting of an 18 inch lizard, yellowish in colour which slid down into the water when
discovered and was lost among the boulders of the Hokianga River.
1875
also saw Mr F.W Hutton present a paper “On a Supposed Rib of the Kumi”.
The paper
spoke of the discovery of a ramus of the lower jaw of a pleurodont lizard from the Ernscleugh
Cave in Central Otago.
The ramus
seemed to give foundation to the at least sub-fossil existence of the Kumi lizard.
In the
same cave a vertebral rib that also appeared to be from the same animal was found.
At the
New Zealand Institute meeting of September 20th 1898 mention was made of a large, strange reptile allegedly seen
near Gisborne.
Furthermore,
in September of that same year, in Arowhana, a bushman working on a station was confronted by a 5 ft long gigantic lizard
which advanced toward him.
The animal
then subsequently fled into a Rata tree.
Lysnar,
the owner of the station where the animal was sighted, and a party of men went in search of the animal.
They
managed to photograph some footprints but did not come across the actual animal.
Another
large lizard mentioned is referred to as the Ngarar.
It is
described as being bigger than a Tuatara, about 2-3 feet in length, was said to burrow, had a serrated dorsal crest and had
prominent teeth which caused the upper lip to slightly project forward.
There
was also a smaller species of this lizard measuring around 18 inches in length, reminiscent of the animal seen at the Hokianga River.
The larger
species of Ngarar preferred the Manuka scrub, while the smaller species was to be found around streams and easily took to
the water.
From
what we can gather both the larger species seem to have been semi-arboreal, while the smaller appears to have preferred a
semi amphibious lifestyle.
From
the size and habits of these lizards they would appear to be closely allied to the Varanus
species of Lizards from Australia.
With
the diversity of lizards in New Zealand
it would not be surprising to find the evolution of some form of Monitor Lizard in this country.
Perhaps
the fossil record still waits to be discovered, or even the animal itself in some remote bush area.
If crocodiles
could once live here, as supported by the find of a fragment of jawbone found in Otago, why not Monitor lizards of the sizes
described.
