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Chalky Island (New Zealand)
Chalky Island or Te Kākahu-o-Tamatea is an island in the southwest of New Zealand, and is part of Fiordland National Park. It lies at the entrance to Taiari / Chalky Inlet, next to Rakituma / Preservation Inlet, at the southwestern tip of the South Island, northwest of Puysegur Point, southeast of West Cape, and west of Invercargill. The island was known to Māori as ''te kākahu-o-Tamatea (''the cloak of Tamatea), as, according to oral tradition, it was the place where the explorer Tamatea spread his cloak out to dry after being drenched by the sea. It was first charted by Captain James Cook in 1773, and was a base for sealers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1999 Chalky Island became the first nearshore island from which stoats were successfully eradicated by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, and it is now free of mammalian predators and is used as a bird sanctuary. Until 2005 it was one of only four refuges of the only flightless native parrot, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes, and its steep, glacier-carved and now ocean-flooded western valleys. The name "Fiordland" comes from a variant spelling of the Scandinavian word for this type of steep valley, "fjord". The area of Fiordland is dominated by, and very roughly coterminous with, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest National Park. Due to the often steep terrain and high amount of rainfall supporting dense vegetation, the interior of the Fiordland region is largely inaccessible. As a result, Fiordland was never subjected to notable logging operations, and even attempts at whaling, seal hunting, and mining were on a small scale and short-lived, partly also because of the challenging weather. Today, Fiordland contains by far the greatest extent of u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anchor Island
Anchor Island ( mi, Pukenui) is an island in Dusky Sound in Fiordland. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "large hill" for . The island is situated southwest of the much larger Resolution Island in the inlet area of Dusky Sound and surrounded by many smaller islands and contains four small lakes, including Lake Kirirua, the largest lake on an island in Fiordland. The island is part of the Fiordland National Park and since 2005 is one of few island sanctuaries that are home to the critically endangered kakapo (or night parrot). Red deer and stoats had been eradicated between 2001 and 2005, and subsequently endangered endemic birds including tieke (saddleback), mohua (yellowhead), kakapo, and New Zealand rock wren have been relocated to the island. The island is one of only nine islands in the area that is completely free of introduced mammalian pests and is from the New Zealand mainland, which makes it relatively safe from repeat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maud Island
Maud Island, also called Te Hoiere in the Māori language, is one of the larger islands in the Marlborough Sounds on the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, with a total area of . Fauna Maud Island is an important predator free nature reserve (officially a ''Scientific Reserve'' as defined under New Zealand's ''Reserves Act'') to which only scientists and conservationists have access. Visitors need a special permit issued by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Thanks to the efforts of conservationist Don Merton the kakapo was introduced onto the predator-free island in 1974. Additional kakapo were subsequently translocated onto other Islands like Codfish Island, Anchor Island and Little Barrier Island. After only one breeding attempt by pair ''Flossie'' and ''Richard Henry'' in 1998 where three chicks were born, Maud Island's kakapo population was translocated to more forested islands. The takahe was also introduced there in 1985. Another rare species is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiordland Islands Programme
The Fiordland Islands restoration programme is run by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The purpose of the programme is to eradicate pests on key islands around Fiordland National Park, once the islands are considered predator free endangered native species will be translocated to the islands. The programme's intentions are to create a safe home for endangered species to build up population numbers before some species can be translocated to different islands or to the New Zealand mainland. History of the programme The New Zealand conservationist Richard Henry rescued rare birds such as kākāpō and kiwi from the Fiordland mainland. Henry translocated the birds to islands off Fiordland's coast, notably Resolution Island. Ngāi Tahu is the iwi with ''mana whenua'' (historic rights and oversight) over Fiordland National Park. Pest species The main pest species on the island are stoats, red deer, kiore, Norway rats, and ship rats. As deer are known to be good swim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Right Whale
The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20° and 60° south. In 2009 the global population was estimated to be approximately 13,600. Taxonomy Right whales were first classified in the genus ''Balaena'' in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, who at the time considered all right whales (including the bowhead) to be a single species. In the 19th and 20th centuries the family Balaenidae was the subject of great taxonometric debate. Authorities have repeatedly recategorised the three populations of right whale plus the bowhead whale, as one, two, three or four species, either in a single genus or in two separate genera. In the early whaling days, they were all thought to be a single species, ''Balaena mysticetus''. The southern right whale was initially described as ''Balaena australis'' by Des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Southern Ocean, Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as Pinniped, seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Orcas are apex predators, as they have no natural predators. They are highly Social animal, social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the brackish dolphins), and the extinct Lipotidae (baiji or Chinese river dolphin). There are 40 extant species named as dolphins. Dolphins range in size from the and Maui's dolphin to the and orca. Various species of dolphins exhibit sexual dimorphism where the males are larger than females. They have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Though not quite as flexible as seals, some dolphins can briefly travel at speeds of per hour or leap about . Dolphins use their conical teeth to capture fast-moving prey. They have well-developed hearing which is adapted for both air and water. It is so well developed that some can survive even if they are blind. Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Te Kakahu Skink
The Te Kakahu skink (''Oligosoma tekakahu'') is a critically endangered species of skink native to New Zealand. When discovered, the entire species was inhabiting a single patch of clifftop vegetation on Chalky Island in Fiordland National Park. Discovery The Te Kakahu skink was discovered in 2002 by members of the Department of Conservation (DOC) kākāpō recovery team. Sixteen skinks were collected in 2008, and the species was formally described in 2011 and named ''Oligosoma tekakahu''. Its species name, ''tekakahu'', comes from the Māori name of Chalky Island, '' Te Kākahu-o-Tamatea'', or "Tamatea's cloak", referring to the oral tradition that this island was where the explorer Tamatea dried his cloak after being drenched by the sea. Although the Māori word ''kākahu'' or cloak is spelled with a macron, the skink's name is usually spelled without. Appearance Although very similar to the cryptic skink (''O. inconspicuum'') and the southern skink (''Oligosoma notos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malherbe's Parakeet
Malherbe's parakeet (''Cyanoramphus malherbi''), usually known as the orange-fronted parakeet ( mi, kākāriki karaka), is a small parrot endemic to New Zealand. In New Zealand it is always known as the orange-fronted parakeet, a name it shares with a species from Central America, while in the rest of the world it is known as Malherbe's parakeet.BirdLife International (2016Species factsheet: ''Cyanoramphus malherbi''.Downloaded from www.birdlife.org on 2016/03/23 Restricted to a few valleys in the South Island and four offshore islands, its population declined to around 200 in the 1990s, and it is considered critically endangered. Taxonomy The genus ''Cyanoramphus'' is endemic to New Zealand and surrounding islandsKearvell, J; Grant, A; Boon, W (2003). "The orange-fronted parakeet (''Cyanoramphus malherbi'') is a distinct species: a review of recent research on its taxonomy and systematic relationship within the genus ''Cyanoramphus"''. ''Notornis'', 50: 27–35 and it has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Spotted Kiwi
The little spotted kiwi or little grey kiwi (''Apteryx owenii'') is a small flightless bird in the kiwi family Apterygidae. It is the smallest species of all five kiwis, at about , about the size of a bantam. It is endemic to New Zealand, and in pre-European times occurred in both main islands, but is now restricted to a number of small offshore islands and mainland reserves protected by pest-exclusion fences. Taxonomy The little spotted kiwi is a ratite and belongs to the Apterygiormes Order, and the Apterygidae Family. Their binomial name ''Apteryx owenii'' breaks down to ''without wings'' and ''owenii'' which is named after Sir Richard Owen. Today, only the nominate subspecies ''A. o. owenii'' exists. A subspecies, ''A. o. iredalei,'' from the North Island has been described. It became extinct in the late 19th century, but the subspecies isn't universally accepted as valid. The little spotted kiwi was first described in 1847 by John Gould from a specimen obtained by Frederick ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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