Henry the tuatara and his friends will be moved out of the museum building on Tuesday as part of the redevelopment of the facility.
Henry has been one of the most beloved icons in the city since he came to Invercargill more than 50 years ago.
Council leisure and recreation group manager Steve Gibling said geotechnical work would begin on site at the museum next month, meaning there would be some noise and vibrations that could affect the wellbeing of the tuatara.
Henry would be on display when a new facility was built, he said.
"Unfortunately, this means Henry and the other tuatara will not be on display for several months as we go through the process of doing site work, moving the collection and demolishing the building."
He did not say where the tuatara would go. However, care for them would continue as normal to ensure they were "happy and healthy".
The council had engaged with iwi for the move of the tuatara, and they would give karakia on the day of the move, he said.
Invercargill city councillor and museum redevelopment project (Project 1225) lead Nigel Skelt said Henry was important and loved by the Southland community and had an important connection to the museum.
"Henry will be missed while he’s taking some time out of the public eye, but we will share regular updates on how he’s going and encourage the community to pop down and say ka kite [see you again] this week."
A statement from the council said the team behind Project 1225 was in the process of deciding where in Queens Park their new home would be.
"We know a lot of the community associates the tuatara with the museum, so there may also be a smaller enclosure for some of the tuatara within the new museum," it said.
