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The extant (living) reptiles of New Zealand consist of numerous species of terrestrial lizards and the lizard-like tuatara, and several species of sea turtles and sea snakes. [1] All but one species are native to New Zealand, and all but one of the terrestrial species are endemic to New Zealand, that is, they are not found in any other country.
A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian [1] people at some time before the year 1300, [2] followed by Europeans after 1769.
The kiwi is a national symbol of New Zealand. The animals of New Zealand, part of its biota, have an unusual history because, before the arrival of humans, less than 900 years ago, the country was mostly free of mammals, except those that could swim there (seals, sea lions, and, off-shore, whales and dolphins) or fly there .
The katipō (Latrodectus katipo) is an endangered species of spider native to New Zealand. It is one of many species in the genus Latrodectus, such as the Australian redback (L. hasseltii), and the North American black widow. The species is venomous to humans, capable of delivering a potentially dangerous bite. It is a small to medium-sized ...
The New Zealand flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus) is an invasive species in Europe where it preys on earthworms and degrades soil quality. Weka (Gallirallus australis) were introduced to several islands south of New Zealand, [2] including Macquarie Island in the 1870s, [3] where the weka was utilized as a food source.
Several elements of Gondwana biota are present in New Zealand today: predominantly plants, such as the podocarps and the southern beeches, but also a distinctive insect fauna, New Zealand's unusual frogs and the tuatara, as well as some of New Zealand's birds. It seems likely that some primitive mammals also were part of the original cargo.
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. [2] 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". [3]
While some New Zealand species were legally exported before the law was changed in 1989, a popular European website for reptile collectors lists species such as harlequin geckos (Tukutuku rakiurae) and jewelled geckos (Naultinus gemmeus) which have never been legally exported. These reptiles are regularly traded at reptile shows in Germany. [3]