Fauna
New Zealand’s Fauna — Unique
and Wonderful
About 80-100 million years ago, New Zealand
drifted away from the massive supercontinent
of Gondwanaland into the South Pacific.
Since then, a unique flora and fauna has
evolved, with a large number of beautiful
native birds and plants, as well as direct
descendants of prehistoric wildlife, including
the tuatara, weta, and giant snail. As
Time magazine said, New Zealand is an
‘ultimate storehouse for discontinued
zoological models’.
Bird
Life Rules
Before humans settled in New Zealand,
it would have been an extremely noisy
place! Large tracts of lush native bush
supported an incredible variety of bird
life. As they evolved, wings became
unnecessary for some birds, as they
had no natural predators to fly away
from. As a result, several of New Zealand’s
native birds became flightless, including
the kakapo parrot, the kiwi, the takahe,
and the world’s largest bird, the
(now extinct) moa.
Unnatural
Predators
As Maori and Europeans settled New Zealand,
they hunted birds and brought predators
including rats and stoats. This, and
loss of habitat, led to the extinction
of a number of birds including the moa
and huia. Others, such as the kakapo
and takahe, become endangered.
New
Zealand’s national symbol is a
nocturnal flightless bird with nostrils
on the end of its large beak. It is
now endangered, and difficult to see
in the wild. However, there are a number
of ‘kiwi houses’ at zoos and
wildlife parks. While they may look
cute, kiwi can be fierce and highly
territorial.
Moa
New Zealand’s moa was the only
wingless bird ever known. The giant
moa, one of eleven species of moa, was
also the tallest known, standing up
to 3 metres (9 feet). Many moa bones
and skeletons have been found in small
caves which the hapless moa fell into.
Maori hunted moa, and it is believed
the birds became extinct around 400
years ago.
Other
Birds
Other well-known New Zealand native
birds include the kea (native parrot),
weka, takahe, tui, and morepork owl.
The playful kea is one of the most intelligent
birds in the world and will happily
attack a car in order to steal a windscreen
wiper or other bits of rubber! The loveable
weka is a flightless bird with a penchant
for shiny objects, while the takahe
has a beautiful indigo plumage and bright
red beak. The takahe was believed to
be extinct until it was sensationally
‘rediscovered’ in 1948 by
New Zealand ornithologist Dr G.B. Orbell.
Like many of New Zealand’s native
birds, the tui has a beautiful song,
and a white ‘parson’s collar’.
The morepork owl is so named because
of the sound of its call, often heard
at night. Its Maori name, ruru, is also
named after its call.
Tuatara
— ‘Living Fossil’
A
reptile with links to the dinosaur,
the native tuatara is found mainly on
islands around New Zealand’s coast.
The tuatara is a unique relic of the
past — the only beak-headed reptile
left in the world. Every species of
this reptile family, except the tuatara,
died out around 65 million years ago.
Tuatara can live for over 100 years,
and were once found throughout New Zealand.
Now they are only found on protected
offshore islands - around 30,000 live
on Stephens Island in the Marlborough
Sounds. Only growing up to 24cm in length,
tuatara are not a threat to humans.
Whales
and Dolphins
New Zealand has abundant and diverse
marine life, and whale watching and
swimming with dolphins are two of New
Zealand’s most highly recommended
tourist experiences. The small (up to
1.4m) Hector’s dolphin is the world’s
rarest dolphin and only found in New
Zealand waters. There are a number of
spots in the South Island where you
can see Hector’s dolphins close
up.
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