Flora and fauna of New Zealand

The history, climate and geology of New Zealand have created a great deal of diversity in New Zealand's vegetation types. The main two types of forest have been dominated by podocarps and southern beech. Podocarps (Podocarpaceae), an ancient evergreen gymnosperm family of trees, have changed little in the last 190 million years. Forests dominated by podocarps form a closed canopy with an understory of hardwoods and shrubs. The forests of southern beeches comprise a less diverse habitat, with the beeches of four species dominating the canopy and allowing a single understory. In the north of New Zealand the podocarp forests were dominated by the ancient giant kauri. These trees are amongst the largest in the world, holding the record for the greatest timber volume of any tree. New Zealand's most famous tree is a kauri called Tane Mahuta. Named after the Maori god of the forests.

Akeake is the Maori name of at least three New Zealand species of tree:Dodonaea viscosa, Olearia traversiorum. Olearia avicenniaefolia.

Kawakawa is found throughout the North Island, and as far south as Okarito  on the West Coast and Banks Peninsula on the east coast of the South Island. The leaves are often covered with insect holes.

The Rimu,is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group the podocarps.

Mainland Pohutukawa is found all over the country, although its natural growing range is north of a line stretching from New Plymouth to Gisborne. Pohutukawa trees blossom in December and January and for this reason it is dubbed New Zealand's Christmas tree.

Manuka (or Tea tree or Leptospermum) is a shrub or small tree native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. It is found throughout New Zealand but is particularly common on the drier east coasts of the North Island and the South Island.

Mataī is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows in the main islands of New Zealand. It grows up to 40 m high, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter.

The remaining vegetation types in New Zealand are grassland of grass and tussock, usually associated with the subalpine areas, and the low shrublands between grasslands and forests. There are 187 species of native grasses in New Zealand: 157 endemic and 30 indigenous species. Toetoe or Toi toi is found all over New Zealand. It is New Zealand's largest native grass, growing in clumps up to 3m in height.

There are 523 known moss species and 23 varieties in New Zealand, with 208 genera represented. 108 species and 11 genera are considered endemic. Most New Zealand mosses originated in Gondwana, so there are strong relationships with species in Tasmania, South-eastern Australia, and temperate parts of South America.

While most of the world's ferns grow in tropical climates, New Zealand hosts an unusual number of ferns for a temperate country. These exhibit a variety of forms, from stereotypical feather-shaped tufted ferns and tree ferns to less typical filmy, leafy and climbing ferns.     Silver fern is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand. It is a symbol commonly associated with the country both overseas and by New Zealanders themselves.This fern is known to grow to heights of 10 m or more.

The New Zealand tree fern, or wheki in Māori, Dicksonia squarrosa, is a medium-sized tree fern with a tall, slender brown trunk. This fern produces few fronds, all of which sprout in almost horizontal fashion.

The black tree fern, is a large tree fern up to 20 m tall. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is called mamaku, katātā, kōrau, or pītau in the Māori language. The trunk is black and covered with hexagonal stipe bases. The fronds may be up to 5 m long, and arch upwards from the crown. 

Prior to human settlement, the mammals of New Zealand consisted of just three species of bat- Long-tailed, Short-tailed and Lesser Short-tailed, and a large number of marine mammal species. The small (up to 1.4m) Hector's dolphin is the world's rarest dolphin and only found in New Zealand waters. There are a number of spots in the South Island where you can see Hector's dolphins close up.

The Māori brought the kurī and kiore in about 1250 CE, and European visitors form 1769 onwards brought the pig, mice, two extra species of rats, weasels stoats, ferrets and possums and many other introduced species, many of which are causing huge conservation problems for many indigenous species, including the mammals.

Birds comprise the most important part of New Zealand's vertebrate fauna. New Zealand's national symbol is a nocturnal flightless bird with nostrils on the end of its large beak. It is now endangered, and difficult to see in the wild. However, there are a number of kiwi houses at zoos and wildlife parks. While they may look cute, kiwi can be fierce and highly territorial.

New Zealand's moa was the only wingless bird ever known. The giant moa, one of eleven species of moa, was also the tallest known, standing up to 3 metres (9 feet). Many moa bones and skeletons have been found in small caves which the hapless moa fell into. Maori hunted moa, and it is believed the birds became extinct around 400 years ago.

Other well-known New Zealand native birds include the kea (native parrot), weka, takahe, tui, and morepork owl. The playful kea is one of the most intelligent birds in the world and will happily attack a car in order to steal a windscreen wiper or other bits of rubber! The loveable weka is a flightless bird with a penchant for shiny objects, while the takahe has a beautiful indigo plumage and bright red beak. The takahe was believed to be extinct until it was sensationally rediscovered in 1948 by New Zealand ornithologist Dr G.B. Orbell. Like many of New Zealand's native birds, the tui has a beautiful song, and a white parsons collar. The more pork owl is so named because of the sound of its call, often heard at night. Its Maori name, ruru, is also named after its call.

New Zealand has about 2600 described spider species with many more as yet undescribed. Some 95 per cent are endemic. The largest spider in New Zealand is the Nelson cave spider (Spelungula cavernicola) with a 3 centimetres (1.2 in) body length and a leg span of up to 30 centimetres (12 in).

The Australian white-tailed spider, first recorded in New Zealand in 1886, has been falsely attributed as the cause of many necrotising spider bites.

The Avondale spider, also from Australia, was accidentally introduced to New Zealand in the early 1920s in shipments of hardwood logs used for railway sleepers. The spiders, which are considered harmless to humans, have been collected for use in at least two films.

There are two genera of geckos native to New Zealand - Hoplodactylus and Naultinus. All species are viviparous giving birth to live young, typically twins. This feature makes them virtually unique in the Gekkonidae family, as only one species outside New Zealand (from New Caledonia) has the same reproductive habit. New Zealand geckos are omnivorous - their diet is primarily insectivorous in nature - flies, spiders, moths etc, but they will supplement it with fruit (ie: from Mahoe) and nectar (ie: from flax flowers) when it is available.

Tuatara - Living Fossil, The tuatara is a unique relic of the past - the only beak-headed reptile left in the world. Every species of this reptile family, except the tuatara, died out around 65 million years ago. Tuatara can live for over 100 years, and were once found throughout New Zealand. Now they are only found on protected offshore islands - around 30,000 live on Stephens Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Only growing up to 24cm in length, tuatara are not a threat to humans.  

Frogs in New Zealand are either from the Leiopelma genus endemic to the country or are one of the three exant introduced species. Their relatively primitive form indicates that they have an ancient lineage. Leiopelma are only found in New Zealand.

In the waters in and around New Zealand, 77 living species of crabs (and 10 species of crab-like Anomura) have been recorded, along with a further 24 species of fossil crabs (marked with an obelisk). Of the extant crabs, 37 are endemic to New Zealand (marked in boldface).