Often overshadowed by its much larger neighbor’s biodiversity, New Zealand is also home to a plethora of wildlife, especially birds. The kiwi, a small flightless bird, is the most recognizable wildlife species and the National Bird of the country.
New Zealand National Animal
When humans arrived on these islands, they brought with them many non-native species. Some of these animals, including ferrets, weasels, cats, and rats, became predators to many of the native fauna, even driving some of them to extinction. Nevertheless, the small nation still boasts biodiversity that is unique, with many creatures not being found anywhere else in the world.
New Zealand Animals
List of New Zealand Animals
Mammals
Bats (New Zealand greater short-tailed, New Zealand lesser short-tailed, New Zealand long-tailed)
Geckos: Pacific gecko, Gold-striped gecko, Duvaucel’s gecko, Black-eyed gecko, green gecko (Auckland, , Lewis Pass, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Wellington, West Coast), Cloudy gecko, Forest gecko, Common gecko, Jewelled gecko, Rough gecko, Stephen’s Island gecko, Takitimu gecko, Harlequin gecko, Canterbury gecko, Raukawa gecko
Skinks: Alborn skink, Aorangi skink, Brown skink, Burgan skink, Chatham Islands skink, Barrier skink, Chesterfield skink, Chevron skink, Cobble skink, Common skink, Crenulate skink, Cryptic skink, Eyres skink, Falla’s skink, Festive skink, Fiordland skink, Grand skink, Green skink, Kupe skink, Lakes skink, Long-toed skink, Mackenzie skink, McCann’s skink, Moko skink, Nevis skink, Newman skink, New Zealand striped skink, Open Bay Islands skink, Otago skink, Rangitata skink, Scree skink, Shore skink, Sinbad skink, Small-scaled skink, Small-eared skink, Southern skink, Speckled skink, Spotted skink, Suter’s skink, Tatahi skink, Te Kakahu skink, Whirinaki skink, Copper skink, Hardy’s skink, Lord Howe Island, McGregor’s, Marbled, Mokohinau, Northland, Ornate skink, Robust skink, Slight skink, Whitaker’s skink
Tuataras: Brothers Island tuatara, Northern tuatara
Amphibians
Frogs: Archey’s frog, Hamilton’s frog, Hochstetter’s frog, Maud Island frog, Green and golden bell frog, Southern brown tree frog, Australian green tree frog, Eastern banjo frog
Insects
Butterflies
Bees
Weta
Spiders
Blackflies
Batflies
Caddisflies
Dragonflies
Plant bugs
Moths
Scorpionflies
Craneflies
Wasps
Ants
Termites
Cicadas
Grasshoppers
Crickets
Stoneflies
Beetles
Weevil
Bumblebees
Ladybirds
New Zealand Animal
Conservation
As mentioned earlier, many endemic animals and birds of New Zealand were driven to extinction due to the arrival of humans. There were many species of flightless birds, including the moa, kiwi, and kakapo that never needed to evolve to fly because of the lack of predators. So when the predator mammals came with the human population, many of these flightless birds, including the moa, were hunted to extinction. Urbanization and human habitation also turned into a great threat, causing many species to be classified as endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN. However, conservation efforts are now underway to preserve the wildlife and increase their population.
Did you know
New Zealand is one of the only places in the world without snakes.
The country is home to one of the oldest living reptiles, the tuatara; it is also the islands’ largest reptile.
The only alpine parrot in the world, the kea, is native to New Zealand.
The islands’ most dangerous inhabitant is the venomous spider katipo.
