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Matakohe Island
Motu Matakohe, also known as Matakohe or Limestone Island, is a 37 ha (100 acre) island in the upper reaches of Whangarei Harbour, just off Onerahi, a seaside suburb of the city of Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. Used for farming and industry for many years, the island is an example of ecological island restoration by a volunteer community group. History The earliest known inhabitants of the island were Ngaitahuhu Māori who occupied it in the early 18th century. They were dispossessed and driven out of the Whangarei area in the mid 18th century by Ngāpuhi Māori led by Te Ponaharakeke.Matakohe / Limestone Island The first European house on the island was built in 1832, though later destroyed. In 1848 the island was leased from the Parawhau hapū by Robert Carruth and Mathew Whitelaw who established a limeworks there, using the local limestone. In 1865 the island was purchased by Henry Walton from Te Tirarau and the Parawahau chiefs. The limeworks were extended a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Māori Language
Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and Tahitian, it gained recognition as one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987. The number of speakers of the language has declined sharply since 1945, but a Māori-language revitalisation effort has slowed the decline. The 2018 New Zealand census reported that about 186,000 people, or 4.0% of the New Zealand population, could hold a conversation in Māori about everyday things. , 55% of Māori adults reported some knowledge of the language; of these, 64% use Māori at home and around 50,000 people can speak the language "very well" or "well". The Māori language did not have an indigenous writing system. Missionaries arriving from about 1814, such as Thomas Kendall, learned to speak Māori, and introduced the Latin alphabet. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floating Dock (jetty)
{{Unreferenced, date=October 2007 A floating dock, floating pier or floating jetty is a platform or ramp supported by pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a gangway. The pier is usually held in place by vertical poles referred to as pilings, which are embedded in the seafloor or by anchored cables. In shipbuilding and ship operations the term floating dock refers to a floating drydock. Frequently used in marinas, this type of pier maintains a fixed vertical relationship to watercraft secured to it, independent of tidal, river or lake elevation. Image:Mohonk Mountain House 2011 Boat Dock Against Reflection of Cliff FRD 3029.jpg, A floating dock at Mohonk Mountain House Image:16 07 231 florence marina.jpg, A floating dock at Florence Marina State Park Image:Floating dock at North Haven.jpg, A floating dock at a private marina. The vertical "spud" only anchors the dock sections in place, and does not provide structural support for loads upon the dock. Image:PontoonHun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuatara
Tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') are reptiles endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. The name ''tuatara'' is derived from the Māori language and means "peaks on the back". The single extant species of tuatara is the only surviving member of its order. Rhynchocephalians originated during the Triassic (~250 million years ago), reached worldwide distribution and peak diversity during the Jurassic and, with the exception of tuatara, were extinct by 60 million years ago. Their closest living relatives are squamates (lizards and snakes). For this reason, tuatara are of interest in the study of the evolution of lizards and snakes, and for the reconstruction of the appearance and habits of the earliest diapsids, a group of amniote tetrapods that also includes dinosaurs (including birds) and crocodilians. Tuatara are greenish brown and grey, and measure up to from head to tail-tip and wei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornate Skink
The ornate skink, ''Oligosoma ornatum'', is a rare species of skink endemic to New Zealand. This species was once widespread through much of the North Island and on many offshore islands in the Hauraki Gulf and north of the Coromandel Peninsula. Habitat destruction and predation by introduced species has now reduced their range to scattered localities throughout the North Island as far south as Wellington, as well as on the Three Kings Islands, Great Barrier Island, and a few other offshore islands. Ornate skinks co-exist widely with copper skinks, and at selected localities with robust skinks, Mokohinau skinks, McGregor's skinks, Poor Knights skinks and on Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands, marbled skinks. Ornate skinks are not currently known to co-exist with Whitaker's skinks. Ornate skinks can be identified by the white or yellowish "teardrop" edged with black, below each eye. Conservation status In 2012 the Department of Conservation classified the ornate skink as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shore Skink
''Oligosoma smithi'', commonly known as the shore skink, short-tailed skink, Smith's ground skink,Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Oligosoma smithi'', p. 246). Smith's moco,Gray, 1845. and Smith's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae (skinks) that is native to New Zealand. Description ''Oligosoma smithi'' is small species of skink, growing to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . It is well camouflaged, and may be found in a range of colours, sometimes almost black. Distribution and habitat The species is native to the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand. It is always found near the shoreline and prefers open areas such as around driftwood at the high tide mark. Behavior ''Oligosoma smithi'' is diurnal (active during the day) and spends most of its time hunting or basking in the sun. It eats insects and probably anything tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forest Gecko
The forest gecko (''Mokopirirakau granulatus'') is a species of gecko. ''Granulatus'' refers to the granular texture of the skin.Gill, B.J. and Whitaker, A.H. (2001). ''New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles''. David Bateman Limited, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand Its Māori language, Māori name is ''moko pirirākau'' ("lizard that clings to trees"). It is Endemism, endemic to New Zealand, found in all areas except the Far North District, Far North, Marlborough Region, Marlborough, and Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury. In June 2010 seven forest geckos, four female and three male, were stolen from a wildlife park in Northland. Forest geckos are a protected species under the Wildlife Act 1953. Conservation status In 2012 the Department of Conservation (New Zealand), Department of Conservation reclassified the forest gecko as ''At Risk'' under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It was judged as meeting the criteria for ''At Risk'' threat status as a result of it having a low ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forest Gecko, Hoplodactylus Granulatus
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines a forest as, "Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds ''in situ''. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban use." Using this definition, '' Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020'' (FRA 2020) found that forests covered , or approximately 31 percent of the world's land area in 2020. Forests are the predominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are found around the globe. More than half of the world's forests are found in only five countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Russia, and the United States). The largest share of forests (45 percent) are in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Placostylus
''Placostylus'', or flax snails, are a genus of very large, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Bothriembryontidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Placostylus H. Beck, 1837. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=818479 on 2020-11-14 The shells of the snails in this genus can be as large as 4.5 inches (11 cm) in maximum dimension. Many species within this genus are now extinct. Taxonomy ''Placostylus'' is the type genus of the family Placostylidae. It was placed within Placostylidae. Breure et al. (2010)Breure A. S. H., Groenenberg D. S. J. & Schilthuizen M. (2010). "New insights in the phylogenetic relations within the Orthalicoidea (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) based on 28S sequence data". ''Basteria'' 74(1-3): 25-31. moved '' Prestonella'' and '' Bothriembryon'' to Placostylidae. Subsequently, Breure & Romero (2012) confirmed previou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phasmatodea
The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida, Phasmatoptera or Spectra) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's darning needles, although this name is shared by both dragonflies and crane flies. They can be generally referred to as phasmatodeans, phasmids, or ghost insects, with phasmids in the family Phylliidae called leaf insects, leaf-bugs, walking leaves, or bug leaves. The group's name is derived from the Ancient Greek ', meaning an apparition or phantom, referring to their resemblance to vegetation while in fact being animals. Their natural camouflage makes them difficult for predators to detect; still, many species have one of several secondary lines of defense in the form of startle displays, spines or toxic secretions. Stick insects from the genera ''Phryganistria'', ''Ctenomorpha'', and ''Phobaeticus'' include the world's longe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wētā
Wētā (also spelt weta) is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemic to New Zealand. They are giant flightless crickets, and some are among the heaviest insects in the world. Generally nocturnal, most small species are carnivores and scavengers while the larger species are herbivorous. Wētā are preyed on by introduced mammals, and some species are now critically endangered. Name Wētā is a loanword, from the Māori-language word ''wētā'', which refers to this whole group of large insects; some types of wētā have a specific Māori name. In New Zealand English, it is spelled either "weta" or "wētā", although the form with macrons is increasingly common in formal writing, as the Māori word ''weta'' (without macrons) instead means "filth or excrement". General characteristics Many wētā are large by insect standards and some species are among the largest and heaviest in the world. Their p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate subphylum Vertebrata. Familiar examples of invertebrates include arthropods, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms and cnidarians. The majority of animal species are invertebrates; one estimate puts the figure at 97%. Many invertebrate taxa have a greater number and variety of species than the entire subphylum of Vertebrata. Invertebrates vary widely in size, from 50 μm (0.002 in) rotifers to the 9–10 m (30–33 ft) colossal squid. Some so-called invertebrates, such as the Tunicata and Cephalochordata, are more closely related to vertebrates than to other invertebrates. This makes the invertebrates paraphyletic, so the term has little meaning in taxonomy. Etymology The word "invertebrate" comes from the Latin word ''vertebra'', whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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