We look back at our native species that have captured the attention of the internet world this year.
Continue Reading...Archives For 30/11/1999
Today’s photo of the week is of one of New Zealand’s famous reptiles—the tuatara.
The tuatara is the only living representative of an ancient lineage, the order Sphenodontia, which is over 250 million years old.
This week Victoria University of Wellington researchers published rare footage of a tuatara hatching from an egg.
The egg was one of 23 being incubated in captivity this year as part of a joint initiative with DOC and local Hauturu ō Toi/Little Barrier Island Mana Whenua.
This initiative is helping to save the threatened tuatara population from extinction.
Watch the video of a tuatara hatching:
Photo by Somaholiday | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0
Codenamed ‘Tuatara on Tour’, DOC, together with Air New Zealand and Ngāti Koata, have just achieved the largest and most complex tuatara relocation ever undertaken.
Over 260 tuatara were transported, on commercial flights from Wellington to Gisborne, Hamilton and Dunedin, to live in new homes at predator-free locations on the mainland. DOC staff were on hand to help facilitate the relocation.
The tuatara traveled by helicopter from Takapourewa (Stephens Island) in the Marlborough Sounds to Wellington Airport. After hanging out in the Koru Lounge and meeting some of their fellow passengers, the ancient reptiles boarded their flights, housed in their own travelling tubes complete with “handle with care” baggage tags.
Mike Elkington (Ngati Koata), Chris Birmingham (DOC), Rob Fyfe (Air New Zealand) and one Takapourewa tuatara
Carrianne Boyd checks the tuatara through to Maugatautari in the Waikato
Tuatara are not well known for being frequent flyers, in fact they don’t generally travel more than about 20 metres from their burrows over the entire course of their lives. Luckily Air New Zealand stepped in and was happy to provide them with the transport needed to ensure these mainland populations could be re-established throughout the country.
60 of the tuatara flew to Dunedin where they were relocated to the Orokonui Sanctuary. This marks the first return of the species to the wild in the South Island and is by far the furthest south that tuatara have been free to roam in 100 years.
Other groups of tuatara went to Whangaokeno Island in north east of Gisborne, Cape Sanctuary in Hawke’s Bay, Young Nicks Head Sanctuary near Gisborne and Maungatautari in Central Waikato.
Takapourewa, where the reptiles originate, is also predator free and home to around 30,000 tuatara, which is around half of the country’s population.
‘Handle with care’ tags were attached to this precious cargo
Because Takapourewa is home to so many tuatara it is hoped that relocating these living fossils will enable them to grow bigger. The overpopulation on Takapourewa means that the tuatara won’t grow to their full capacity. There has also been evidence that some of the mature males have hunted juveniles.
The relocation was a great success and all the tuatara arrived safe and sound at their new homes.
Have you been lucky enough to see a tuatara in real life? What did you think of these amazing and ancient creatures? We’d love to hear your story. Leave us a comment.
Tuatara facts
- Tuatara were once widespread in New Zealand but were extinct on the mainland by the late 1700s due to predation by introduced mammals, human harvest and habitat changes.
- Tuatara survive naturally on about 30 offshore islands – the equivalent of just 0.5% of their former range.
- New Zealand’s total tuatara population is estimated at greater than 60,000.
It probably doesn’t surprise you to hear that people love visiting our native animals online at www.doc.govt.nz. What may surprise you are the native animals people like visiting the most.
#10 Kaka
This amusing, social and boisterous parrot seems to be as much fun to hang out with online as in the real world.
Kaka
#9 Frogs
New Zealand’s four species of native frog may be cold-blooded, but they’re warmly regarded, and well visited, on the DOC website.
Hamilton's frog
#8 Tui
It’s not too much of a stretch to see why this pretty and popular song bird made the list.
Tui feeding
#7 Kakapo
This eccentric New Zealand parrot has a huge following, partly due to their high profile ambassador Sirocco, who regularly makes news headlines around the world.
Kakapo chicks
#6 Tuatara
The only survivor of an ancient group of reptiles that roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs, tuatara are internationally famous and endlessly fascinating.
Tuatara
#5 Bats
Maori refer to bats as pekapeka and associate them with the mythical, night-flying bird, hokioi, which foretells death or disaster. Despite this rather gloomy association we still love visiting them.
Short-tailed bat cluster
#4 Kiwi
The kiwi is New Zealand’s national icon and unofficial national emblem. The only surprise about kiwi would’ve been if it didn’t make our top 10.
Kiwi
#3 Weta
Beating many a fair and feathered creature, New Zealand’s most recognisable creepy-crawly takes third place.
Giant weta
#2 Eel
These slimy and snake-like creatures obviously have more love out there than we give them credit for.
Longfin eel
#1 Gecko
One look at the photos on the gecko pages and you’ll understand why these gorgeous creatures made it to the number one spot.
Marlborough green gecko
So, that’s the top 10 native animals of 2011, based on the number of visits each of them received on the DOC website during the year. Do you think visitor numbers have given us an accurate picture of popularity? Did your favourite make the list? Let’s take a quick poll to find out…
Singing on the sidewalk and sizzling sausages are just some of the fundraising efforts made by Tairua School students to help save our native species.
Denise, Tim and Jack busking outside Tairua Four Square
After learning about New Zealand’s biodiversity, Room 5 students wanted to make a difference; and that they did. All together they raised a grand total of $495!
“We did good busking in the streets of Tairua, and we made $59.00 in just under an hour,” says Tim, who was in the Kea group.
Kea, tuatara, kokako, kakapo and the yellow eyed penguin were the chosen species, all receiving a boost to their survival chances thanks to these budding young conservationists.
Mohini and Maddie with the kakapo donation box
“The tuatara’s a unique animal to New Zealand. It’s one of the dinosaurs that’s been here for a million years, and if we don’t save them… who will?” says Henry, whose group raised $270 for DOC’s tuatara recovery project.
The tuatara group raffled off a board of scratchies
Children approached local businesses to ask for donations, organised a raffle with $50 worth of scratchies up for grabs, placed donation boxes in shops, sold good old fashioned sausages, and sang along to Tim’s guitar playing outside the local Four Square. They also put up posters around the community, promoted their cause on the radio, and advertised in the school newsletter.
The students’ teacher, Samantha Telfar, says the students initiated their action plans to help save an endangered species of their choice. “I’m really pleased with the students’ progress and enthusiasm they are showing for their native species projects,” she says.
The yellow eyed penguin group put posters in shops around town
Jaxon, who studied kakapo, learnt that “some are friendly, some are cruisy, and some are big eaters.”
Tairua locals are also big eaters, spending $73.80 on barbequed sausages, with funds helping out kokako.
Connor and the money raised for the kokako
“The plan is to have a kokako in every back yard, and so many we can harvest them,” says Glenn Kilpatrick, helping out behind the barbie.
The students presented their achievements to the class, including information on what they’d learnt, and what they’d do a second time around. Each group was happy with the fantastic results they’d achieved for their chosen species, and wished to thank everyone who’d donated towards their cause.
