Of the world’s 22 species of albatross, nearly half can be found in Aotearoa. These include the wandering or snowy albatross (Diomedea exulans). Its wingspan of ...
He mea whakahirahira te manu ki te iwi Māori, he uri whakaheke nā Tāne Mahuta he mana nui tōna i te tirohanga mātairangi a te māori ...
The association of birds as the children of Tāne Mahuta reflects their importance in Māori cosmology and their integral role in the natural world. They were ...
Could we be seeing the end of some of the great animal migrations? Fishing, fences and development are fast-tracking extinctions. This article has been republished from ...
This Connected article, written and illustrated by Adele Jackson, looks at the discovery that fish and eels are using Wellington’s stormwater system as access between streams ...
This Connected article takes a Pacific worldview and describes how the people of the Cook Islands have attempted to manage and protect their marine resources with ...
Dolphins are often seen around the coast of Aotearoa New Zealand, but only two species – Hector’s and Māui – are endemic. Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) ...
New Zealand bats are fully protected by the Wildlife Act 1953, and their habitats are also protected by the Resource Management Act 1991. There are a ...
Bats are found throughout the world, except in areas of extreme cold. New Zealand has three species of endemic bats – the long-tailed bat, the lesser ...
Kākā (Nestor meridionalis) are one of New Zealand’s endemic parrots and a great example of how concerted efforts can improve a native species’ conservation status. It ...
Imagine being able to smell your dinner from the other side of a sports field. Insects do this with the pair of antennae on their heads. ...
We know that some animals make amazing long-distance journeys called migrations. This article explores some of the technology scientists use to track the animals and their ...
We know that cats are natural hunters, but what does the data tell us about cats and their prey – and how do we know if ...
The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), also called kūkū, kūkupa, wood pigeon or simply New Zealand pigeon, is endemic and one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most valuable assets ...
Moths are members of the order Lepidoptera, but these mostly nocturnal creatures are often in the shadow of the brighter, day-flying butterflies. New Zealand has fewer ...
Moths make up the third most diverse insect group in New Zealand, and their day/night habits are also diverse. While most moths are nocturnal (active at ...
Moths, along with butterflies, are part of the order Lepidoptera (from the Greek for scaled wings). Over 90% of New Zealand’s Lepidoptera species are endemic, found ...
There are two families of wētā in New Zealand. The Anostostomatidae are wētā we often associate with heavy bodies, spiky legs and curved tusks – the ...
He puni kaiao rerekē kei ngā manga e pai ana mō ngā ika taketake, ā, ka whai oranga hoki ngā ngārara me ngā otaota e pīrangatia ...
He nui noa atu te manga i te wai noa iho – he oruoru, he hōpua, he kahuwai papatahi, he tāheke, he hīrere, he wai rōnaki, ...
Our freshwater native fish like to keep their cool. They’re used to shaded waterways lined with dense vegetation because over 80% of New Zealand was once ...
Riffles, pools, reaches, rapids, waterfalls, glides, eddies, meanders, overhangs and undercuts – there’s more to a stream than just water. A stream on a farm in ...
Glow-worms are New Zealand’s underground stars. Small but bright, it is no wonder why they attract so many tourists to places such as Waitomo and Paparoa ...
The whio/blue duck has many adaptations to help it survive in its challenging fast-flowing river habitat. Even newly hatched whio ducklings can negotiate white water and ...
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