The Archey’s frog has changed little over the past 200 million years, therefor they represent “living fossils”. They prefer the damp vegetation of their native forests, and dwell only in a small section of forest in the North Island
The katipō, aka red katipō, black katipō, and New Zealand’s redback, is a spider species native to New Zealand. These arachnids are in a larger family of spiders known as Latrodectus. Other spiders in this family are the
The south island takahē, aka Takahē, is a flightless bird that can only be found in New Zealand. The bulk of their population has been translocated to Kapiti, Mana, Maud, Motutapu, and Tiritiri Matangi. This was necessary due to
The Hector’s dolphin, aka white-headed dolphin or New Zealand dolphin, can only be found among the coastal waters of New Zealand. They dwell up to 328 feet deep and only about 1/2 mile off shore. Unfortunately, shipping lanes
The alpine newt can be found throughout continental Europe and has been introduced to the U.K. as well as New Zealand. They prefer deciduous and coniferous forest habitats with access to cool, clean water
The yellow-eyed penguin, aka hoiho or yellow-crowned penguin, hails from southern New Zealand down to Stewart Island, and stretching even further south to the sub-Antarctic islands of
The blue duck, aka whio – pronounced “fee-oh” (Maori name), hails from the North and South Islands of New Zealand, in the west of the South Island, in Otago and Southland, and in the central
The abalone is a gastropod mollusk (snail) that inhabits tropical and temperate coastal waters off the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, and North America
The sika deer, aka Shansi sika, sika, spotted deer, or Japanese deer, hails from Eastern Asia and Japan. They prefer forested areas with a dense understory. However, they are
Reportedly one of, if not the heaviest known insects in the world, it’s the giant weta. These New Zealand natives have jaws strong enough to cut through carrots. There are 70 known species of weta. 11 species are in the giant category. They have been nearly wiped out on the […]
