The animals of New Zealand have a particularly interesting history because, before the arrival of humans, probably less than 1,300 years ago, the country was completely free of mammals, except those that could swim there (seals, sea lions, and, off-shore, whales) or fly there (bats). New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising For other uses of the term "sea lion" see Sea lion (disambiguation. Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas This meant that all the ecological niches occupied by mammals elsewhere were occupied by either insects or birds, leading to an unusually large number of flightless birds, including the Kiwi, the Moa, and the Kakapo. KIWI (1029 FM, "Radio Lobo" is a commercial Radio station located in McFarland California, broadcasting to the Bakersfield California The Moa were ten species (in six genera of flightless Birds endemic to New Zealand. The Kakapo ( Māori: kākāpō, meaning night parrot) Strigops habroptilus (from the Greek strix, genitive Because of the lack of predators even the bats spend most of their time on the ground. There are also about 60 species of lizard (30 each of gecko and skink), and four species of frog (all rare and endangered). Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except Geckos are small to average sized Lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world Skinks are the most diverse group of Lizards They make the family Scincidae which shares the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha with several other
Humans first arrived via the Pacific islands, bringing with them the Polynesian Rat (Kiore) and the domesticated dog. The Polynesian Rat, or Pacific Rat ( Rattus exulans) known to the Māori as kiore, is the third most widespread species of Rat in The Polynesian Rat, or Pacific Rat ( Rattus exulans) known to the Māori as kiore, is the third most widespread species of Rat in The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order Europeans later brought pigs, ferrets, stoats, mice, rats, dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, and many other mammals. Of these, the rats, ferrets, cats, stoats and dogs have all seriously impacted the New Zealand fauna, driving many species to extinction. Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea The ferret is a domestic Mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic Fauna is all of the Animal life of any particular region or time Possums were introduced from Australia for a fur industry, and deer from Europe as game animals, both seriously damaging the forest habitat of many birds. A possum is any of about 64 small to medium-sized Arboreal Marsupial Species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae.
In recent years, successful efforts have been made to remove possums, rats, ferrets, and other mammals from many offshore islands, large and small, in an effort to return these places to something more closely resembling their original state. An estimated 30 tons of dead possums were removed from Kapiti Island, for example. Kapiti Island is a small but conspicuous island about 8 km (5 miles off the west coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. Similarly, efforts are being made to control such species in selected locations on the mainland. In a further step, in certain mainland reserves mammals are being completely eliminated within predator-proof fences creating ecological islands. An Ecological Island is not necessarily an Island surrounded by water but is an area of land isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land where Examples are the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington City, from which about a ton of dead possums was removed after the installation of a mammal-proof fence, and the Maungatautari Restoration Project. Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, where the bio-diversity of 225 ha (just under a Square mile Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand, involving the total removal of all pest Mammals
See also
References
- Native animals of New Zealand - Department of Conservation. The New Zealand Sea Lion ( Phocarctos hookeri) also known as Hooker's Sea Lion or Whakahao in Māori is a species of Sea lion This list of New Zealand birds is ordered by the Māori names (where known with English alternatives in brackets The biodiversity of New Zealand, a large Pacific Archipelago, is one of the most unusual on Earth, due to its long isolation from other Continental
- Animals of New Zealand - children's learning aid.