The Magical World Down Under: Five Fantastic Fauna Spotted Only in New Zealand
Aotearoa, commonly known as New Zealand, boasts some of the world’s most exotic wildlife protected for centuries from predators by the island nation’s isolation and vast areas of scrub and bush.
From flightless birds to amazing marine life, you actually have to see them to believe it. Contrary to popular belief, New Zealand doesn’t only contain sheep (although the ratio of people to sheep is 1 to 10) but a vast array other fascinating animals not found anywhere else in the world.
(images via: aftab, setev and light knight)
To enlighten the rest of the world on some of the fantastic creatures roaming the mountains and plains of the North, South and Stewart Islands, here are the best of the best.
Kiwi
(images via: zeyneparkok, sirwiseowl, ericthehalibut and via)
One of a number of flightless birds adapted to walking the earth rather than flying because of the lack of predators, the Kiwi has become extremely rare and almost impossible to see in the wild.
The most common places to catch a glimpse of this New Zealand icon in the wild would be in Fiordland National Park at the south west of the South Island and on Stewart Island directly south of the South Island. Since the advent of Europeans in the early 1800’s and their introduction of predators such as stoats and ferrets, the Kiwi has been in steady decline. The make their nest in burrows on the forest floor and feed on grubs, worms and other insects under the cover of darkness and slumber during the day. You can identify a Kiwi because of its plump look, long curved beak, and the snuffling sound it makes when hunting for food.
Giant Weta
(images via: mollivan laura and carol green)
A scary freak of nature, the Giant Weta makes its home in the damp, dank, lightless caves of offshore islands like the Auckland Islands south of Stewart Island, Little Barrier Island of the east coast of the North Island, and the Chatham’s to the east of the South Island.
Giant Weta can weigh up to 70 grams (~2.5 ounces) and reach lengths of 10cm (~3.9 inches), not including their long legs. They are all but extinct on New Zealand’s mainland due to the introduction of mice and some species of foreign bird life.
Tuatara
(images via: scruffy and beespace)
One of only a few species in the world to survive the age of the dinosaurs and beyond, the Tuatara has experienced a tough existence since Europeans first set foot on New Zealand soil around 1830.
This reptilian creature is on the endangered list, near the very top, because of predators including rats and has therefore reduced them to living on the rat-free offshore islands near the northern edge of the North Island. They have been reintroduced onto the mainland in recent times where rat eradication programmes are currently in place.
Hector’s Dolphin
(images via: electropod, tewahipounamu, minka6, wayne ross, turningtide and dgcohen)
Found mostly in the southern inland coastal waters of New Zealand, Hector’s Dolphins are distinctly smaller than any other Dolphin you will find the world’s oceans at only around 1.5m (~5 feet) in length.
Named after museum curator Sir James Hector, these Dolphins are not yet endangered but like most other marine life are severely vulnerable to nets from fishing trawlers. Collisions with boats are also common because of their inland habitats.
Short Tailed Bat
(images via: guppiecat, nicolas ory and bistrosavage)
Originally two species of Short Tailed Bat existed in New Zealand but with the introduction of, you guessed it, rats by Europeans, one of the two is now thought to be extinct. The other species is also endangered and can only be found in small areas in Northland, Taranaki, and Fiordland.
These nocturnal fruit eaters frequent hollows and and knots in forest trees in these areas and, unlike most other species of bat, obtain their food from the ground floor rather than from the air. Feral cats, stoats and ferrets prey on these hapless little fellows in their scramble for food on the forest floor and as well as habitat loss due to the clearing of forest for residential areas, are in serious decline.
(images via: barwell, chris gin and brenda anderson)
There are plenty of other unique creatures native to “The Land of the Long White Cloud” and they are just as fascinating as the next but this just wouldn’t be a list of strange creatures from New Zealand without having a spiel about sheep. There’s not much to say really; introduced, a large part of New Zealand’s economy with income from wool and meat, and extremely dumb!
(all maps via: google maps)
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20 Responses to “The Magical World Down Under: Five Fantastic Fauna Spotted Only in New Zealand”
On September 22, 2008 at 10:37 am
Thanks for the informative article and the amazing pics of wonderful wildlife of NZ.
On September 22, 2008 at 10:43 am
Wow, I love this!Fantastic!
On September 22, 2008 at 10:55 am
Wonderful wildlife and ,worth New Zealand protect them.
On September 22, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Thumbs up! thanks for the lesson on NZ wildlife, really interesting and great pics
On September 22, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Very nice shots you got there. I hope to visit that country one day.
On September 22, 2008 at 1:43 pm
New Zealand looks like a beautiful Island. I wouldn’t mind visiting it some day.
On September 22, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Great article. I want to go to New Zealand now. Maybe I’ll run into Flight of The Concords
On September 22, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I wish I could visit New Zealand someday.
On September 22, 2008 at 6:54 pm
So the Kiwi does not have wings?
Very beautiful animal pics. The beach also looks amazing.
Great job!
On September 22, 2008 at 7:06 pm
awsome picS! nice
On September 22, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Hey everyone, thanks a lot for all you comments on this one.
Jo – The Kiwi has wings but over the years the wings have evolved to become to short for them to fly because they have had no need to fly due to lack of threats. They would probably be useful for them nowdays though.
On September 22, 2008 at 9:22 pm
These are indeed strange creatures. I hope they remain protected for years to come. Take care, Ruby
On September 23, 2008 at 1:12 am
Excellent stuff! This is my favourite piece by you so far, RJ!
On September 23, 2008 at 2:56 pm
This is fantastic. My step brother lives in New Zealand during parts of his travels. The scenery is unimaginable. Great piece RJ. The organization is superb.
On September 24, 2008 at 4:10 am
Love the beautiful pictures. Informative article. Would love to visit New Zealand one day.
On September 24, 2008 at 5:06 am
Thanks for the added info you shared to us about these wonderful creatures,nice one RJ
On September 24, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I was kind of hoping to see a reptile that I think is called “Thorny Devil”. Have you ever seen one of those?! VERY weird (& beautiful.)
On September 25, 2008 at 8:39 pm
When I was younger we were very lucky and lived in NZ for 1 year. I remember seeing a small group of KEA (spelling?) birds on a mountiany road. Maybe thats not even the right name? Anyhow It was cool. THe fauna is great too!
On September 25, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I read recently that Kiwi birds are being killed by introduced species. How sad. Great link.
On October 29, 2008 at 2:04 am
Thank-you for your vision. We recently camped near Cape Rianga at Tapotopatu Bay. In the night we heard a very strange cry, a lot like an annoyed baby.
When we got back to Warkworth a few days later we asked Lynne and Pete what a kiwi sounds like. He said, \”a crying baby.\” I really am sure that some Kiwis are foraging on the very top of the North Island.
Try camping there it\’s truly awesome.
Best Wishes James
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