New Zealand Animal and Bird World Records and Other Trivia

New Zealand is also home to several record breaking and interesting animals.

• Oldest: Tuatara is the only living relative to the dinosaur, therefore the world's oldest reptile.  Tuatara is endemic to New Zealand.  He looks quite a bit like a large lizard.  See him on the shirt to the right.
  
  
• Heaviest: The New Zealand weta is the world's heaviest insect. (and a bit scary looking when you don't expect to see him. 
  
  
• Biggest: New Zealand is home to the world's biggest earthworms.
  
  
• Smallest: Look closely for bats as New Zealand is home to the world's smallest bats.
  
  
• Largest: The Kakapo, a native to New Zealand is the world's largest flightless parrot.
  
  
• Smallest: Hector's Dolphin, found only in New Zealand is the world's smallest dolphin and one of the world's rarest.

• Six species of penguins live and breed in New Zealand. 
  
  
• The Little Blue is the world's smallest penguin.  Also called Blue Penguin and Fairy Penguins.
  
  
• The Yellow Eyed Penguins and Fiordland Crested Penguins are both extremely rare and both are endangered.

The flightless Kiwi bird is a New Zealand National icon. Kiwi birds are about the size of a chicken, with a long, thin beak and tiny wings.  They are nocturnal and only found in New Zealand.

• There are five species of Kiwi birds, all endangered. 
  
  
• The Kiwi lays an egg which in comparison to its body size is the largest of any bird in the world. 
  
  
• The Kiwi bird is the world's only bird with nostrils (sense of smell) at the end of their beak.
  
• Kiwi Birds are the smallest of the ratite group of birds which include Emu, Cassowary, Rhea and many extinct species.
  
• People who live in New Zealand are nick-named Kiwis. 

• The New Zealand Takahe are critically endangered.  They were believed to have been extinct, but then were were rediscovered in the Fiordlands in 1948 by Geroffrey Orbell. 

• Takahe are brighter and more colorful then their closest relative, (and my namesake) the Pukeko.
  
  
• Both Takahe and Pukeko are part of the Rail family (Takahe are the largest of the rail birds).

A few facts about Pukeko:

• Also called the New Zealand Swamphen.
  
  
• A bird that has continued to flourish, one of the few to continue to do well after the arrival of people to New Zealand.
  
  
• Pukeko live in large groups.
  
  
• Pukeko can run, swin and fly (although not that well) to escape predators.

• Tuatara - The Only Living Relative of the Dinosaur
• White Tail Spider - Dangerous or Over Rated?