gady-i-płazy: Tuatara

Evidence: 43 • authority: 88

Population Viability and Resource Competition on North Brother Island: Conservation Implications for Tuatara (Sphenodon Punctatus) and Duvaucel's Gecko (Hoplodactylus Duvaucelii). <p>Population viability for small, isolated populations is determined by many factors, particularly demographic stochasticity. Coexistence of communities is promoted through resource partitioning, particularly if species share similar niche requirements. Demographic characteristics, long-term trends and patterns of partitioning were investigated for two reptile species: tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) and Duvaucel's gecko (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii), using mark recapture techniques on North Brother Island, New Zealan…

Evidence: 43 • authority: 72

Motunau / Plate Island is a small island in the Bay of Plenty, roughly 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) off New Zealand's North Island at Okurei Point and a similar distance east-south-east from the much larger Mōtītī Island. The island is split into northern and southern portions by a small channel as narrow as 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) across, with several small sea stacks surrounding the two main parts of the island. Like many of the other islands in the Bay of Plenty, Motunau is volcanic in origin and lacks any permanent fresh water source, and as a result has not seen permanent settlement by humans. The lack of human interaction with the island or introduced predators has led to Motunau becoming home…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 88

INVESTIGATING FACTORS DRIVING BREEDING SUCCESS, PHENOLOGY, BREEDING DISPERSAL, AND PAIR-BREEDING DYNAMICS OF THE TOUTOUWAI (NORTH ISLAND ROBIN; PETROICA LONGIPES). <p><strong>The survival of any species requires robust and productive breeding within populations. Understanding the breeding biology of at-risk species can not only inform conservation management options, but also contextualise our understanding of fundamental biological processes and their evolution, such as phenology. Long-term study populations enable the investigation of such processes, that may occur or fluctuate over time. In this study, I investigate several aspects of the breeding biology of toutouwai (North Island robin…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 88

Birds and tuatara on North Brother Island, Cook Strait, New Zealand. During a visit to North Brother Island in Cook Strait from 11 October to 6 November 1990, we estimated by quadrat sampling that the 4 ha island supported 1000 pairs of Fairy Prions, 600 pairs of Common Diving Petrels, and 225 adult tuatara. Most Diving Petrels nested below Coprosma scrub, and a few eggs were laid on the surface under dense shrubs. Many prion burrows were in more open vegetation. Burrows of both species were simple and were not shared with tuatara. Some evidence of tuatara preying on unattended eggs was found, but there was no evidence that the endemic Sphenodon guntheri, which is smaller than S. punctatus,…

Evidence: 36 • authority: 72

The tuatara (, Māori: [ˈtʉ.a.ta.ɾa]; Sphenodon punctatus) is a species of reptile endemic to New Zealand. Despite its close resemblance to lizards, it is the only extant member of a distinct lineage, the previously highly diverse 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, which was highly diverse during the Mesozoic era. Rhynchocephalians first appeared in the fossil record during the Middle Triassic, around 244–241.5 million years ago, and reached worldwide distribution and peak diversity during the Jurassic, when they represented the world's domina…

Evidence: 29 • authority: 72

Matiu / Somes Island is the largest of three islands in the northern half of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. The island is 24.9 hectares (62 acres) in area, and lies 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the suburb of Petone and the mouth of the Hutt River. Matiu / Somes Island was used as a place of refuge by pre-colonial Māori. Middens and other remnants of habitation have been found on the island. There is also a long and varied European history. The island was used for human quarantine from 1840 until the 1920s. Ships arriving in Wellington Harbour with infectious passengers or crew would disembark them at Matiu / Somes Island for care and treatment before berthing in the city. During both Wo…

Evidence: 29 • authority: 72

Deinacrida heteracantha, also known as the Little Barrier giant wētā or wētāpunga (Māori: wētāpunga), is a wētā in the order Orthoptera and family Anostostomatidae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it survived only on Hauturu (Little Barrier Island). This very large flightless wētā mainly feeds at night, when it can be found above ground in vegetation. It has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to ongoing population declines and restricted distribution. Its NZTCS threat classification was changed to "Threatened - Nationally increasing" in 2022 because it has been successfully translocated to seven predator-free islands.

Evidence: 29 • authority: 92

Virome analysis of New Zealand's bats reveals cross-species viral transmission among the <i>Coronaviridae</i>.. The lesser short-tailed bat ( Mystacina tuberculata ) and the long-tailed bat ( Chalinolobus tuberculatus ) are Aotearoa New Zealand's only native extant terrestrial mammals and are believed to have migrated from Australia. Long-tailed bats arrived in New Zealand an estimated two million years ago and are closely related to other Australian bat species. Lesser short-tailed bats, in contrast, are the only extant species within the Mystacinidae and are estimated to have been living in isolation in New Zealand for the past 16-18 million years. Throughout this period of isolation, les…

Evidence: 29 • authority: 92

Effects of a native avian predator (weka; Gallirallus australis) and colony density on breeding success of a burrow-nesting seabird (tītī; Ardenna grisea).. As island ecosystems are restored, native predators are recovering and re-establishing interactions with their prey. However, compared with widely-publicised impacts of invasive predators, little is known about the dynamics and stability of native predator-prey dynamics on islands. Prey species such as seabirds may still be vulnerable to population decline, as even native predation can become unsustainable at a population-level when combined with other threats. Large seabird colonies may buffer against native predation by diluting its p…

Evidence: 21 • authority: 72

Auckland Island (Māori: Mauka Huka) is the main island of the eponymous uninhabited archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. It is part of the New Zealand subantarctic area. It is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list together with the other New Zealand Subantarctic Islands in the region.

Evidence: 21 • authority: 92

Natal soil consumption shifts gut microbiome in captive Ōkārito kiwi (Apteryx rowi).. Background Captive-rearing programmes for endangered birds, such as those in place for kiwi conservation in Aotearoa-New Zealand, can unintentionally deprive the birds access to a microbially-diverse and 'natural' developmental environment i.e., their natal rohe (territory). These programmes introduce external variables such as increased exposure to diseases, unnatural and incomplete diets, antimicrobial usage, and artificial cohabited environments, which have the potential to impact rearing success outcomes. In this research, we investigated whether the introduction of natal soils, as a direct probiotic a…

Evidence: — • authority: 88

Plasma corticosterone concentrations in wild and captive juvenile tuatara ( <i>Sphenodon punctatus</i> ). Abstract High mortality and abnormal growth patterns commonly found in captive juvenile tuatara were hypothesised to be due in part to the effects of long‐term chronic stress of captivity. This study compared plasma concentrations of the reptilian adrenal steroid, corticosterone, in wild juvenile tuatara on Stephens Island, Cook Strait, and in captive juveniles of Stephens Island origin, held in New Zealand institutions, in February and August 1992. Seasonal variation in plasma concentration of corticosterone in wild juveniles in four seasons of the year was also examined. This is the f…