B1.2.3 New Zealand: Flora And Fauna
Description
This article is from the New Zealand FAQ, by Phil Stuart-Jones and Lin Nah with numerous contributions by others.
B1.2.3 New Zealand: Flora And Fauna
It is still hotly debated whether or not New Zealand was *completely*
submerged between 60 - 30 mya. There are now two competing views as to
NZ's biogeographic history:
(1) the traditional view, that our biology - especially the vegetation -
is a living example of a 'Gondwanan' fragment that has a lineage directly
traceable back to when NZ split off from Gondwana (maybe as early as 90 mya
or as late as 75 mya, depending on who you believe).
(2) a more recent view, that actually almost none of our current plants
and animals can be traced in a continuous lineage back to Gondwana, and
instead have all arrived via long-distance dispersal from Australia and SE
Asia, maybe even as recently as 20 - 10 mya. There is some compelling
fossil evidence for this view. For those interested in this, an excellent
though clearly biased account of this second view is given by Mike Pole in
a recent review (The Journal of Biogeography, Vol. 21 pp 625, 1994).
In any case during its time of isolation, birds have continued to arrive
and develop in NZ without large predators, making them vulnerable to recent
arrivals. The predators that have really been widely destructive were the
mustelids, cats and European rat species. The most important impact of
pre-Europeans was the widespread burning used in moa-hunting especially in
the drier areas of the South Island.
We have the worlds largest (and probably only flightless) parrot (kakapo),
the only truly alpine parrot (kea), the oldest reptile (tuatara), the
biggest earthworms, the heaviest insect (also the largest weta), the
smallest bats, some of the oldest trees, and many of the rarest birds,
insects, and plants in the world....
NZ is home to the world famous Tuatara, a lizard-like reptile which dates
back to the dinosaurs and perhaps before (260 mill years?). The only
member of its order (Rhynchocephalia) it is now restricted to protected
offshore islands which you have to have special permission to visit.
Specimens are kept at some zoos.
The only native land mammals are two rare species of bat.
NZ's many endemic birds include the flightless kiwi, takahe, kakapo and
weka. Far too many species of bird have become extinct since humans
arrived on NZ included the various species of Dinornis (moa) the largest
of which stood up to 2.5 metres high. While the rare takahe (Notornis
australis) can be seen in semi-wild conditions at Te Anau, the Kakapo is
too endangered to be on display anywhere (see quote below).
For those who are interested, the following NZ CD is available:
New Zealand birds: Information on more than 300 bird species, plus over 500
photos, video clips of NZ attractions and birds, and 20 windows bmps.
Available from:
Protech International
PO Box 324
Nelson
New Zealand
Ph/fax 64-3-5451799
There is also some unique insect life such as the Giant Weta and glow
worms. Other than two spiders, there is a lack of any deadly poisonous
things (snakes, spiders, etc.) which is why NZ Agricultural Regulations are
so strict.
The great kauri trees in the few remaining kauri forests in Northland are
very old with some believed to be up to 2000 years old.
Much of the South Island is still forested, particularly the West Coast.
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