Animals of New Zealand. Animals of New Zealand: description and photos What animals live on the island of New Zealand

21.01.2015 23:45

The flora and fauna of New Zealand are diverse and unique, since due to its isolation from the rest of the world, geographical location and climate, species of flora and fauna have been preserved here that do not live anywhere else - they are called endemics. When New Zealand is presented in photographs, they usually illustrate animals and plants that are unknown to many.

Even before humans appeared on these shores, the only mammals here were bats, whales, sea lions and seals in coastal waters. New Zealand geography textbooks also associate the history of the discovery with the appearance on these islands of animals such as Polynesian rats, dogs, then cows, pigs, goats, cats and even mice were introduced. With almost every wave of immigration, new ones appeared in the country. animals on the verge of extinction, but some of them have harmed New Zealand's natural fauna. Cats, rabbits, ferrets, stoats, possums, which had no enemies in the fauna of the islands, multiplied so quickly that they began to threaten both agriculture and human health. Therefore, today the policy of environmental authorities is aimed at preserving the natural fauna of the islands.

The livestock population remains quite large, which allows the country to be the largest exporter of dairy products. Almost the best sheep in the world are raised in environmentally friendly conditions, which are used not only to produce meat, but also to produce lanolin from their wool, as well as to make yarn for the amazingly soft carpets of New Zealand.

But usually New Zealand is depicted in pictures with the help of the kiwi bird, as well as kea, kakapo, and takahe. There are absolutely no snakes in this country. Among reptiles, the most famous are the hatteria and skink. Of the poisonous spiders, only the katipo lives in New Zealand. However, the well-known hedgehog also lives here, but it has nevertheless adapted to local conditions.

The flora can also be characterized as predominantly endemic. In photographs of New Zealand you can see two types of forests: evergreen and mixed. The main forest plants are legworts, agathis, cypress dacridum, as well as a large number of ferns. 2 million hectares are artificial forests where you can see radiata pine. Also, the flora of New Zealand has the largest number of mosses; half of the more than 600 species grow only here. More than 180 species of herbs alone can be found here, while about 150 of them do not grow anywhere else.

But tourists should remember that in New Zealand at customs they will definitely inspect things for images of animals and plants, items made of bone, bird feathers, leather, as well as corals and shells - all this is prohibited from being exported. Therefore, if a visitor wants to preserve his impressions or take away souvenirs, it is better to take pictures depicting all the rare and amazing plants and animals. And it’s even better to take pictures against their background, in multinational parks where the best specimens of New Zealand’s flora and fauna are collected and preserved.

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New Zealand: Wildlife

Long-term historical isolation and distance from other continents has created a unique and in many ways inimitable natural world of the New Zealand islands, characterized by a large number of endemic plants and birds.

About 1000 years ago, before permanent human settlements appeared on the islands, mammals were historically completely absent. The exceptions were two species of bats and coastal whales, sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) and fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri).

Simultaneously with the arrival of the first permanent inhabitants, the Polynesians, to these lands, Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) and dogs appeared on the islands. Later, the first European settlers brought pigs, cows, goats, mice and cats. The development of European settlements in the 19th century caused the appearance of more and more new species of animals in New Zealand.

The appearance of some of them had an extremely negative impact on the flora and fauna of the islands. Such animals include rats, cats, ferrets, rabbits (brought into the country for the development of hunting), stoats (brought into the country to control the rabbit population), possums (brought into the country for the development of the fur industry). Having no natural enemies in the surrounding nature, populations of these animals reached sizes that posed a threat to agriculture, public health, and brought natural representatives of the flora and fauna of New Zealand to the brink of extinction. Only in recent years, through the efforts of New Zealand's environmental departments, have some coastal islands been rid of these animals, which has made it possible to hope for the preservation of natural conditions there.

Of the fauna of New Zealand, the most famous are the kiwi birds (Apterygiformes), which have become the national symbol of the country. Among the birds, it is also necessary to note the kea (Nestor notabilis) (or nestor), kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) (or owl parrot), takahe (Notoronis hochstelteri) (or wingless plume).

Only in New Zealand are the remains of the giant flightless birds moa (Dinornis), which reached a height of 3.5 m, exterminated about 500 years ago, preserved. A little later, presumably only about 200 years ago, the largest known species of eagles, the Haast's eagle, was exterminated. wings up to 3 meters and weighing up to 15 kg.

Reptiles found in New Zealand include the hatteria (Sphenodon punctatus) and skinks (Scincidae). New Zealand skinks are represented by three species: the great skink, the Otago skink, and the Suter skink. Of these, the first type is the most common.

The only representative of insectivores introduced into the country and adapted to the free living conditions there is the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).

There are no snakes in New Zealand, and only the katipo (Latrodectus katipo) is a poisonous spider.

The country's fresh waters are home to 29 species of fish, 8 of which are on the verge of extinction. The coastal seas are home to up to 3,000 species of fish and other marine life. New Zealand is home to 35 endemic fish species that are found nowhere else. There are two species of eels found in New Zealand waters (low-finned and long-finned); lamprey, retropinna vulgaris, galaxia. There are Australian spotted cat sharks, drummers, red snapper and king fish, mackerel that are harmless to humans.

Paua clams. Paua is the name of three species of New Zealand large edible seashells belonging to the family Haliotidae and standing out among other shells for their unusually bright shimmer of mother-of-pearl.

The fauna of the islands is so unique that scientists especially highlight the New Zealand faunal region (for comparison, it can be noted that almost all of North America, Northern and Central Europe and about half of Asia together constitute one Holarctic region).

The fauna of New Zealand is characterized by a high degree of endemism (for example, 93% of all birds in New Zealand are endemic); absence of some important groups of animals (for example, ungulates, predators, etc.); the low numbers of many species, which was one of the reasons for their extinction (an interesting fact is that a single lighthouse keeper’s cat destroyed all the birds that belonged to an endemic species that lived only on the island where the lighthouse stood); the rapid pace of evolution, which contributed to the emergence of such deviations as gigantism (the now extinct moa birds reached a height of 3 m), or, conversely, dwarfism, shortened limbs, etc.

New Zealand has a large number of flightless birds (only slightly less than half of all flightless forms known on the globe have been recorded here). The flightless kiwi bird, covered with long brown feathers that look more like hair, is widely known and has become a symbol of New Zealand.

Perhaps a unique species of parrot, the kakapo, is living out its last days on earth, and is almost indistinguishable in appearance from an owl. Both of these flightless birds, like many other animals, were mercilessly exterminated by people.

Other not so original, but also unique representatives of the avifauna of the islands are also interesting.

Nowhere else on the globe is the New Zealand tui bird found, an incomparable singer whose virtuosity can only be rivaled by the bell bird. Tui is so popular that many women bear her name.

There are very few Uek drummers left, the most curious birds of the islands; Kaka and kea parrots are also rare. The fate of the latter gives rise to serious concerns due to the deep-rooted misconception that this world's only predatory parrot attacks sheep and therefore must be exterminated.

The takahe, a bird considered extinct, gained worldwide fame. The rediscovery of the takahe in 1948 and the struggle to preserve this unique species would make for a fascinating literary story.

New Zealand's birds are known for more than just their uniqueness. It is also widely known that certain representatives of the avifauna of New Zealand are disappearing from the face of the earth at a monstrous rate. The disappearance of the rarest species is mainly due to the excessive hunting of birds for fun, as well as because of beautiful feathers, the fashion for which in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. contributed to an astronomical rise in prices and, accordingly, the unbridled extermination of the most beautiful representatives of birds. Collectors caused colossal damage to the bird fauna, especially rare and small species.

The yellow-eyed penguin living in New Zealand, unlike its counterparts that nest on the coast and go to sea for the winter, nests and lives in the forest.

But perhaps the most amazing animal of New Zealand is the tuatara, or tuatara, a living fossil, the oldest terrestrial vertebrate (tuatara lived on Earth even before the appearance of mammoths).

As on other islands of Oceania, the balance in nature of the New Zealand Islands has been very unstable since the advent of man. The settlement of the islands by the Polynesian Maori was initially accompanied by forest burning and other actions that harmed nature, but subsequently the Maori used their lands very wisely.

The system of taboos (prohibitions) ensured strict control over the implementation of established norms. Forest clearing was regulated, and terraces were created on cultivated slopes to prevent erosion; ditches and trenches were dug to stop the spread of sand dunes and pebbles. Such measures bore fruit: the balance in natural ecosystems was almost not disturbed.

The picture changed dramatically for the worse with the arrival of the white man. The first European settlements appeared in New Zealand at the beginning of the last century, and at that time domestic animals brought by sailors - pigs, goats, sheep, horses, etc., as well as uninvited guests - rats, mice, had already begun to spread in the coastal areas.

In subsequent decades, 54 species of mammals, 142 species of birds and many other animals were brought to New Zealand for the purpose of acclimatization.

A significant part of alien plants was introduced along with the seeds of cultivated and ornamental species, as well as in other ways. The total number of plant species introduced to New Zealand is enormous - more than 600.

The invasion of this army of foreigners, often aggressive towards local species, and the destruction of established local biocenoses, especially tasseka and subtropical forests, caused enormous damage to the nature of New Zealand. According to one New Zealand scientist, over the 100 years of their rule, Europeans have changed the biological aspect of New Zealand more than nature and man over the previous 5 millennia.

By the middle of the 20th century. the situation was recognized as so serious that all segments of the country's population were involved in the cause of nature conservation, from schoolchildren to senior government officials. After long-term and expensive measures were taken to restore cleared forests, reclaim eroded lands, regulate the number of introduced animals, etc., the situation in the country began to improve.

Today, New Zealand demonstrates not only the consequences of the predatory exploitation of natural resources, but also examples of the successful application of scientifically based measures for their restoration.

Long-term historical isolation and distance from other continents has created a unique and in many ways inimitable natural world of the New Zealand islands, distinguished by a particularly large number of endemic - that is, local - birds. As for mammals, reptiles and fish, the number of their endemic species is significantly inferior to birds.

Additionally, we recommend that you visit the following sections: tours to New Zealand, visas to New Zealand, air tickets to New Zealand.

Mammals

Before the arrival of humans in New Zealand (around 1300), the only endemic mammals here were three species of bats: long-tailed bats and short-tailed bats.

Seals and whales, once ubiquitous in New Zealand, were discovered in the 19th century. were almost exterminated. Several colonies of seals are now known: sea lions, fur seals.

Whales and dolphins are found in the sea all the time. Between October and December, pods of migrating whales can be seen in Cook Strait. Of the 77 species of dolphins and whales, 35 species are found in New Zealand. Endemic to these places is Hector's dolphin.

Introduced animals that undermine the islands' ecosystem pose a great danger to New Zealand. Therefore, the populations of deer, possums, rats, and mustelids are under government control.

The wide distribution of mustelids (trochees, stoats and weasels) negatively affects the fauna of the islands. It is very difficult to control their population, since mustelids lead a secretive lifestyle. Stoats kill about 40 kiwi chicks a day on the North Island; they eat 15,000 birds a year, that is, 60% of all chicks. The other 35% fall victim to choreas. On the North Island, only 5% of kiwi chicks survive.

Of the reptiles, an interesting one is the tuatara (better known as the tuatara), which is the only representative of the order Sphenodontia. Its contemporaries died out 60 million years ago.

New Zealand's frogs belong to the genus Leiopelma, an ancient and primitive group of frogs. In 70 million years they have changed little.

There are seven known species of endemic frogs, three of them are extinct, four are still alive today, found mainly on small islands.

There are no snakes in New Zealand.

Insects

The insect world in New Zealand is very diverse. Its distinctive feature is the gigantic size of some species, which is due to the absence of snakes and small mammals in the country. Giant wingless grasshoppers weta have taken on the ecological role of specialized seed dispersers of plants with succulent fruits.

Rare spiders and red admiral butterflies are still found in abundance on the small islands to this day. Other large insects include the flightless horned beetle, longhorned beetle and stick insects.

Birds

Most New Zealand animals are endemic and are found nowhere else except New Zealand. There are practically no placental mammals and predators, which are represented by rats, dogs and bats. The absence of predators allowed a huge number of rare species, mainly birds, to survive.

In the rain forest, where branches of bushes, trunks, and vines are tightly intertwined, the kiwi, the smallest bird from the family of flightless Apterigidae, still lives.

In New Zealand, the remains of extinct moas, or dinornis, giant flightless birds, some species of which reached 3.6 m in height and weighed a quarter of a ton, have been found.

Indispensable inhabitants of the forests of New Zealand have always been such colorful birds as the wingless plume takahe and the saddle-backed huia.

The country's waters are rich in waterfowl: black swans, cormorants, skuas, gannets, ducks, swallows, stilts, penguins, and gulls are common here. Many albatrosses live here, and among them the largest species is the royal albatrosses with a wingspan of more than 3.5 m. Pateke (Auckland teal), fairy tern, and blue duck (Wayo) are also common.

Among the songbirds are: New Zealand tui, bellbird (makomako), New Zealand kereru pigeon.

The parrot family is represented by: owl macaw, yellow-fronted parrot, kea, kaka, black Chatham flycatcher.

New Zealand is home to five species of penguins that are found only in that country: the most represented are the yellow-eyed penguin, the crested penguin.

Fish

New Zealand is home to 35 endemic fish species that are found nowhere else.

There are two species of eels found in New Zealand waters (low-finned and long-finned); lamprey, retropinna vulgare, galaxia.

There are Australian spotted cat sharks, drummers, red snapper and king fish, mackerel, and paua clams that are harmless to humans.

Official website of the Ministry of Nature Conservation of New Zealand:

Casewings

Case-winged bats (sac-winged bats)- a family of mammals from the order Chiroptera. Consists of a single species, the small casewing, common in New Zealand and on the island. Stewart.

sea ​​lions

New Zealand sea lion or Hooker's sea lion- a large eared seal of the subantarctic islands.

Seals

New Zealand fur seal- a species of eared seals from the subfamily of fur seals. Belongs to the genus of southern fur seals.

Bristletails

Kuzu, brushtails, bristle-tailed gliders- a genus of mammals of the possum family. Includes five types.

New Zealand skinks

New Zealand skinks are represented by three species: large skink, Otago skink, Suter skink. Of these, the first is the most represented.

Kiwi

Kiwi- the only genus of ratites in the family and order of the same name, Kiviiformes, or wingless. Includes five species endemic to New Zealand.

Takahe

Takahe, the wingless sultana- a flightless rare bird, considered extinct. Lives in the mountains of the South Island, near Lake Te Anau, New Zealand. Belongs to the rail family.

Saddle-backed huia

Saddle-backed huia- a rare New Zealand bird of the family of New Zealand starlings of the order Passeriformes.

Before the arrival of humans in New Zealand (around 1300), the only endemic mammals here were three species of bats: long-tailed - Chalinolobus, with a membrane along the entire length of the tail, with which they capture insects in flight, and short-tailed ones - large casewings - Mystacina robusta and small - Mystacina tuberculata.

Casewings live on the islands, but have reduced their population and disappeared in many places, exterminated by ship rats. They weigh 12-15 grams, have characteristic pointed ears and are mousy gray in color. Unlike other bats, which hunt exclusively in the air, sheathwings catch prey on the ground, using their folded wings as limbs to move along the forest floor. In cold weather, casewings fall into torpor and do not leave their shelters, awakening in the warm season. Males attract females with a kind of “singing”. These animals feed on insects, fruits, nectar and pollen, being plant pollinators.

Long-tailed bats ( Chalinolobus tuberculatus) are found frequently, both on the main islands and on smaller ones. They are smaller in size than casewings, weigh 8-11 grams, have small ears, and are beautiful brown in color. They can reach speeds of 60 km/h, their area is one hundred square meters. km.

Sea creatures

Seals and whales, once ubiquitous in New Zealand, were almost wiped out in the nineteenth century. Several colonies of seals are now known: sea lions Zalophus californianus, fur seals Callorhinus ursinus, leopard seals Hydrurga leptonyx and elephant seals Mirounga leonina. On the beaches, among the rocks, you can find many fur seals and get within arm's reach of them. They are absolutely not afraid of humans. Sea lions are less common. Despite their size (and they are very large), they move quickly, so you need to be careful, although they are quite friendly. Whales and dolphins are found in the sea all the time.

Immigrant Animals

Introduced animals that undermine the islands' ecosystem pose a great danger to New Zealand. Therefore, the populations of deer, possums, rats, and mustelids are under government control.

Deer were introduced to New Zealand 150 years ago. The following species currently live here: red deer - Cervus elaphus, Sika deer - Cervus nippon, European brown deer - Dama dama, Wapiti - Cervus canadensis, Indian sambar - deer Cervus unicolor, White-tailed deer - Odocoileus virginianus and Sambar maned - Cervus timorensis. An increase in the number of deer has a negative impact on the local flora.

Kiore, or Pacific rat Rattus exulans- the third largest of all rats, found throughout the Pacific region and Asian countries. Kiore are poor swimmers and arrived in the country with people. Together with the gray rat Pasyuk Rattus norvegicus and a black rat Rattus rattus they attack birds that nest on the ground, eat eggs and chicks, and exterminate lizards and insects.

The population of Kaimanawa Wild Horses numbers 500 individuals. They destroy the rare flora of the islands, so they are assigned areas where there are no vulnerable and rare species of flora.

Australian bristle-tailed possum

The wide distribution of mustelids - trochees, stoats and weasels negatively affects the fauna of the islands. It is very difficult to control their population, since mustelids lead a secretive lifestyle. Stoats kill about 40 kiwi chicks a day on the North Island and eat 15,000 birds a year, or 60% of all chicks. The other 35% fall victim to choreas. On the North Island, only 5% of kiwi chicks survive.

Australian bristle-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula was brought to New Zealand in 1837 to develop the fur trade. In their homeland, the possum population was controlled by dingoes, forest fires and the paucity of vegetation. In New Zealand they exist in favorable conditions, so they breed twice a year. The opossum population is estimated at 70 million individuals, accounting for 7 million tons of vegetation per year. Opossums cause great harm to forestry by eating young shoots, and valuable species of endemic trees (rata, totara, titoki, kowhai, kohekohe) suffer from them. They are food competitors and natural enemies of birds and land snails, as well as carriers of tuberculosis.

Geckos and skinks

There are 90 known species of lizards in New Zealand. They live at altitudes from sea level to 2000 m. The Majoris call them ngarara (or karara - southern dialect). Of these, there are 16 species of geckos and 28 species of skinks. The oldest gecko lived 42 years, although their usual lifespan in nature is 30 years. New Zealand skinks large Oligosoma grande and Otago Oligosoma otagense viviparous, of which the second reaches 30 cm and is considered a giant among endemic lizards. They breed annually, having 3-6 (rarely 10) young. Suter's skink Oligosoma suteri lays eggs.

The smallest lizards belong to the genus New Zealand skinks, cyclodines -
Cyclodina, the smallest of its representatives, the copper skink Cyclodina aenea has 120 mm in length.

Hatteria

Of the reptiles, the hatteria is interesting Sphenodon punctatus, or tuatara, which is the only representative of the order Sphenodontia. This medium-sized lizard, weighing from 300 to 1000 g, is a contemporary of dinosaurs and has lived on earth for 200 million years. Its contemporaries died out 60 million years ago.

The tuateria was once widespread throughout New Zealand, but now survives only on thirty-two small islands, where there are no rodents or natural predators introduced by humans. The hatteria stays close to colonies of seabirds, whose droppings serve as a nutritional basis for the life of many invertebrates that the hatteria feeds on.

As with other lizards, the temperature at which the eggs develop affects the sex of the offspring.

Rare skinks

Chevron skink - Oligosoma homalonotum- one of the rarest lizards in New Zealand. It is a large lizard, 30 cm long, with a pattern of two dark and one light stripe running from the eyes to the upper lip. Between the stripes there is mint in the shape of a drop. About 250 places where they are found have been identified, all of them are located near water. Almost nothing is known about the life of these lizards. Chevron skinks make loud sounds similar to grunts and squeaks. The female gives birth to 8 cubs, but does not breed every year.

Endemic frogs

New Zealand frogs belong to the genus Leiopelma, an ancient and primitive group of frogs. In 70 million years they have changed little. These are small, nocturnal frogs that are well camouflaged. Three species live in shady forest areas, one stays near water and leads a semi-submerged lifestyle. Characteristic features distinguish them from other frogs in the world. They do not have an external eardrum, their eye is round rather than a narrow slit, they do not croak often, they do not have tadpoles - the egg hatches into a fully formed frog. Parents take care of their offspring, and the male archer's frog - Leiopelma archeyi carries the juvenile on its back.

There are seven known species of endemic frogs, three of them are extinct, four are still alive today, found mainly on small islands.

Powellifanta predatory snails

Land snails of the genus Powelliphanta whose curl diameter reaches 90 mm, they live in secluded corners of the forest in small colonies. The color of the shell is very beautiful: shades of red, brown, yellow and brown.

They are different from the common snail Helix aspersa/, which also live in New Zealand and are considered agricultural pests. There is a known case when work on the development of coal mines in Westpoint (South Island) was stopped due to the fact that a colony of 250 snails lived in this place. The colony was transported and released elsewhere.
There are 21 known species and 51 subspecies of these snails.

Unlike other snails, powellifants are carnivores and feed on earthworms, which they suck into their mouths like we eat spaghetti. Their other prey is slugs. Powellifants can lift a load of 90 g. These snails are hermaphrodites, possessing male and female reproductive organs, and therefore mate with any adult representative of their genus, laying annually 5-10 large eggs, 12-14 mm long, in a hard shell, which are similar on the eggs of small birds.

They are nocturnal and spend most of their lives in damp leaf litter and under fallen trees. Snails live up to 20 years.

Giant insects

The insect world in New Zealand is very diverse. Its distinctive feature is the gigantic size of some species, which is due to the absence of snakes and small mammals there. Giant wingless weta grasshoppers Deinacrida rugosa took on the ecological role of specialized distributors of plant seeds with succulent fruits. Wetas reach 7 cm in length. Rare spiders and red admiral butterflies are still found in abundance on the small islands to this day.

Other large insects - flightless stag beetle Geodorcus helmsi, longhorned beetle and stick insects.

Argentine ants

Argentine ants - Linepithema humile- are very aggressive, and although they are not poisonous, their bites are very painful to people. Unlike other species, Argentine ants live in huge colonies, maintaining connections among themselves, thus forming supercolonies. Where they gather, Argentine ants are voracious and very aggressive towards other types of insects. You can recognize the Argentine ant by its size - they reach 2-3 mm in length, yellow-brown color (other New Zealand ants are black), and the width of the path along which a formation of 5 or more ranks of ants can simultaneously pass. They can climb trees in search of food. They displace other ant species in New Zealand and become a serious food competitor for birds and lizards, taking insects and worms, as well as nectar.