Download - New Zealand Natural History Part2 Op 08
New Zealand Natural History
Part 2
Flora and Fauna
Tourguiding.wordpress.comHillary Jenkins, Otago Polytechnic 2008
IMPORTANT…
Images you are about to see are some of our special places and their inhabitants many of which are ENDEMIC to New Zealand
- Features forming New Zealand’s National Parks and the UNESCO World Heritage Status
- Features which contribute to a booming tourism industry
Before humans…
• The New Zealand islands looked very different than
today
• No mammals except a couple of bat species and the
NZ Fur seal
• An abundance of birds, many flightless
• Large forested areas of prehistoric trees throughout
the country
Let’s take a closer look at the climate zones and at
some of the native plants and animals that live
there today
The Alpine Zone
Glaciers
Braided rivers
Wide open valleys
Ice covered mountains
Aoraki Mount Cook
Mountains & Alpine Valleys
Tussock grasses grow here
600 species of Alpine Plants
93 % found only in New Zealand
Mount Cook Buttercup- the world’s largest buttercup
Daisies and Spaniardsspecially adapted for survival
Miniature brooms
More buttercups, daisies and bristly carrots
Flightless Takahe lives in Alpine tussock
(One known population left in the wild)
Kea - Worlds only Alpine Parrot(only in the South Island of New Zealand)
Invertebrates – food for birds
The Temperate Forests
Podocarp Forests
•Totara
•Kahikatea
•Matai
•Rimu
•Miro
A few precious remnants left
Beech Forests
Sliver
Red
Mountain
Blackwww.flickr.com/photos/33495997@N00/402696291/sizes/m/
Kiwi!?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76074333@N00/281832147/sizes/m/
Karearea - New Zealand Falcon
NZ Robin and giant native worm
Tieke - Saddleback
Kereru – New Zealand Wood Pigeon
Rare Flightless Parrot Kakapo86 (+ about 5 new babies this year) left in the world
Harakeke – New Zealand Flax
an amazing resource
Piwakawaka (Fantail) and Tui
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8611584@N06/2067358292/sizes/s/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbinns/2036385629/sizes/m/
The Subtropical Forest
Dense lush warm forest full of diversity
Ancient Ferns- from 100million years ago
200 species, 40 endemic to New Zealand
More ferns, orchids & mosses
Koru
Nikau Palm
New Zealand’s only true Palm species
Kauri - Tane Mahuta our biggest tree
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassygagliardi/440514174/sizes/m/
The Coastal Zone
Sand Dunes
Estuaries
Salt Marshes
Headlands
Cormorants on a West Coast Beach
Coastal Flowering Hebe
Penguins and NZ Fur Seals
www.flickr.com/photos/littlebluepenguin/357091278/sizes/m/ www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/232405333/sizes/m/
Today…
• Threats from introduced predators such as possum, rabbit, stoat, cat , dog & rats
• Threats from development and industry
• Tremendous work being done by DOC and community groups on habitat restoration, species protection & pest control
Further reading
Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest
by John Dawson and Rob Lucas
New Zealand Alpine Plants
by J T Salmon
Field Guide to Birds of New Zealand
by Heather, B and Robertson, H
www.doc.govt.nz Native Plants
Photo’s by Nicky Snoyink (otherwise stated)