My last article started with an ancient petrified jaw of tuatara, which was found lately, and in this article I will tell some really great news about currently living tuatara.

Henry – the world’s oldest pangolin, a relic of the times of dinosaurs, who recently celebrated his 111th birthday – for the first time in his life became a father.

Henry is a tuatara – reptile endemic to New Zealand. The typical lifespan of tuatara is between 50 to 100 years, reaching maturity in 20 years. However, from the observation of New Zealand’s Southland Museum staff, Henry showed no interest in females for about forty years. The reason for this was partly because he had a genital cancer.

After successful operation in which the tumor was removed, another attempt was made to “reunite” Henry with the opposite sex, and this time successfully!

Mother of Henry’s children is the 70-year-old tuatara Mildred, who in July last year layed twelve eggs. Finally, in January 2009, nine little tuataras hatched. According to the museum’s curator they feel good, but Henry is not yet aware of their birth, because as curator said «if newborn pangolins come close to Henry, they may become his dinner».

According to DoC, to date there are about 100,000 tuataras who live in the wild, and are contained in the reserves. Henry’s habitat is the Museum of Southland, which is located in Invercargill (on South Island of New Zealand), which is likely to soon become popular among tourists.

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Researchers found ancient tuatara remains in New Zealand, which forced them to revise history of the country. Having studied petrified ancient tuatara’s jaw, the scientists concluded that islands of New Zealand have never fully went under water (which was until now the most common theory).

You can read more about Tuataras in my article titled Tuatara – The surviving Dinosaur

Current Theory

According to current theory, about 500 million years ago New Zealand was part of a giant continent Gondwana. Approximately 167 million years ago Gondwana started cracking, forming a smaller continents. New Zealand, Antarctica and Australia have long been connected to each other. It is believed that New Zealand has begun its separate life at about 130-85 million years ago. According to one theory, some 25-22 million years ago, it fully plunged under water, but later resurfaced. Such a conclusion was made due to the fact that in New Zealand haven’t been found fossils belonging to that period.

New Exciting Foundings

The discovery of this petrified ancient tuatara’s jaw by scientists who worked under the leadership of Marc Jones from University College London forces to revise this theory. Location of the teeth traces found in the remains of the jaw points to only one group of reptiles – tuataras. Age of discovery dates back to the period when New Zealand supposedly was under water.

The owner of discovered jaw must have got to the island after its resurfacing. Animals would have swam to New Zealand through the ocean. It is unlikely that tuataras could survive such a journey. In addition, in Australia, which is the only possible location from which these animals could arrive, remnants of tuataras have never been found.

The Alternative

The researches of UCL put forward an alternative version New Zealand’s past. In their view, it wasn’t completely plunged under water. Animals and plants survived on the dry parts of the islands. Scientists suggest that dry surface could be a very small part of New Zealand – up to one percent of its current territory. As proof of this assumption scientists point to Stephens Island. It has an area a thousand times less than one-hundredth part of New Zealand (!), but more than a thousand tuataras are living there.

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Love them from a distance or lose them forever

Traveling in New Zealand most chances are that you will encounter wildlife. Please read this short article about how to act around the wildlife you meet.

Hector dolphins/Papakanua
Might be seen along the Catlins Coast, Porpoise Bay or in Te Waewae Bay.
To avoid disturbing these dolphins it is best to watch them from the shore and not go swimming with them.

Yellow-eyed penguins/Hoiho
Best seen from the viewing hide at Roaring Bay and at the Nuggets/Tokata.
Never approach a penguin, they are and sensitive birds.
If you think a penguin has seen you, please leave the area.
Don’t take your dog near penguins. Dogs kill penguins.

New Zealand sea lions/Rapoka and fur seals/Kekeno
Best seen at Cannibal Bay and Surat Bay.
Never go between them and the sea. The sea is their escape route.
Never go closer than 20 meters.
Male New Zealand sea lions may be aggressive during the breeding season (summer). Be careful and keep your dog on a leash.

Dolphins, seals, sea lions and penguins are fully protected under New Zealand law. It is illegal to disturb them.

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I saw fireflies for the first time in Waipu cave. We stopped there on our way to Whangarei, and I was very happy that we did. Many tourists who plan thoroughly their visit in NZ include this stalactite cave in their itinerary, and after visiting it myself I understand why. I strongly advise you not to pass on Waipu cave. For a visit you will need sandals to walk in water, clothing which you won’t hesitate to spoil, and a flashlight. The great thing about this cave is that it was not “civilized”. There are no boardwalks or electric lights and it feels untouched and prehistoric. When you get far enough from the entrance for the outside light to vanish, turn off your flashlight and look up… I will never forget this sight of starry sky. When your eyes will get used to the darkness, the light from the glowworms is bright enough to see where you walk.

The second time I saw the glowworm wonder was in Trounson Kauri Park, which is located in western Northland, 40km north of Dargaville. I was there during Kiwi breeding season, and a park ranger advised me to go for a night walk in the park for kiwi spotting. So I went for a night walk in Trounson Kauri Park, and while looking for kiwis I stumbled upon a huge Kauri stump which was settled by a glowworm colony. In the dark it looked like a magic house with many rooms with lights turned on.

The big question, however, is why and how glowworms glow, and why evolution haven’t denied them this non camouflaging quality (glowworms are seen from long distance in the dark, which may make them more vulnerable)?

It turns out that glowworms managed to accomplish something that scientists are still unable to do and only recently got closer to achieving – they use almost 100% of their energy for lighting! Let me explain: for example in the usual light bulb less than 10% of the energy is used for lighting, while the rest of the energy is wasted as heat. Glowworms however emit “cold light”. After all, they can not afford to spend most of their energy on heating because they would virtually cook themselves!

The organ that is responsible for light emission in glowworms has very complicated structure, and the chemical processes which take place are complicated even more. They engage oxygen, nitric acid, adenosine triphosphate molecule (ATP), and Luciferin pigment. The result is – bioluminescence – difficult word to describe this complex process! The organ emits light when there is enough oxygen, and stops emitting when oxygen run out. Glowworms are also capable of scintillating, which depends on nitrogen supply to the organ.

Glowworms glow for various reasons. They produce substances in their bodies which make them an unpleasant food to predators and their glow serves as indicator to it. Another reason for glowing is to attract the opposite sex. Each mature glowworm scintillates in a unique way, so that their mates can distinguish them from other glowworms. Scientific research shows that female glowworms choose their males according to their flashing. Turns out that two types of glowworm females prefer males with brighter luminescence and a higher frequency of flashing. Hungry glowworms also shine brighter than usual to attract other insects, which fly towards bright light and directly into a trap. They get caught in silk threads and eaten by the glowworms.

The ability to shine remains with the glowworm during all stages of its development: larvae, pupae and adulthood. People in many countries used glowworms as a natural jewelry and a tiny source of light.

Lets start with the Facts:

• Department of Conservation responds to about 85 stranding incidents a year.

• Most strandings are of solitary animals.

• Most common stranding species: The common dolphin – Delphinus delphis and Pygmy sperm whale – Kogia breviceps.

• Most common mass strandings species are long-finned pilot whales – Globicephala melas.

• The largest mass stranding in New Zealand was in 1918, in which one thousand whales stranded on  Chatham Islands.

• Maori see dolphins and whales as treasured species. They often get involved in the rescue to ensure that it is being done according to Maori custom.

• Even the largest toothed whale, the sperm whale has been known to mass strand on NZ shores.

Safety during the Rescue

First of all remember that Whale strandings can be dangerous for humans. As I wrote in my previous article, do follow all the instructions DoC staff will give you, and remember that you are responsible for yourself.

• If you arrive at the rescue site after the DoC, report to DoC staff.

• Always work with someone, have at least one partner to be with.

• Don’t come into contact with animals’ body fluids or blowhole exhalent. Marine mammals can carry various diseases.

• Use rubber gloves for handling injured animals.

• Cover any abrasions that you have.

• Stay away from the mouth and tail, since whales can become agitated in stress.

• When in the water – always stay in your comfort zone and also be visible to boats at all times.

• Volunteers who go into the water must be physically fit, healthy and able to swim.

• Don’t forget to drink, take breaks when necessary, use sunscreen and cover you head, and stay warm.

• Remember that you are responsible for your own children!

• If you become ill within two months of handling a marine mammal, advise your GP.

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One of the strangest New Zealand’s phenomenons (and not only New Zealand’s) is the stranding of marine mammals. No one knows exactly why whales and dolphins strand. These creatures are famous for their intelligence and they are fully adapted to ocean life, but they still strand. Possible factors for stranding can be navigational errors, ill health, extreme weather, or unusual geographic features, and many more. But the truth is nobody knows the real reasons for this natural phenomenon.

Most of strandings occur in summer and involve one or two animals, but there are also mass strandings (which are much less common) that may involve hundreds of animals. Stranding animals usually won’t survive without human help, and here you will learn what you can do to help them return to water.

The procedure is divided into five stages, but before reading them please note that each stranding is unique, so best advice is – follow the directions of DoC staff at all times. Always remember that your safety is the most important thing. In some cases DoC staff will have no choice but to put down animals, so be prepared for such outcome.

1. The initial response

So if you are the fist to see stranded marine mammal, the first thing you should do is to contact DoC (Department of Conservation) immediately. You should always follow the directions that DOC staff gives you.
- Don’t make any loud noises and unnecessary movement in order to keep the animal calm.
- If the animal lies on the side, you should move it to upright position. In order to do that, digging a shallow trench alongside the animal and rolling it gently upright into the trench may be required. But pay attention and dig an appropriate hole for the flippers so you won’t damage them while rolling the animal.
- Try to touch the animal as little as possible, and always watch the mouth and the tail – that will keep you safe.
- Marine mammals should be kept cool and shaded. For that cover them with wet sheets, and constantly pour seawater over them, mostly on the tail fluke and flippers. You can even dig moats around the tail and flippers, but whatever you do, don’t cover the blowhole and don’t pour water into it.

2. Re-floating the animal

In brief – wait for the tide to return and then carefully re-float the animal and hold them until they are calmed down.

- Gently rock a floating animal from side to side in order to help it regain its balance.
- Once the animal is stabilized, it should be carefully leaded out into deeper water. Slings or pontoons can be used for shifting small whales or dolphins.
Never tow the animal by tail or flippers, because you can easily dislocate them! Remember that whales are big animals, and several people may be required in order to keep them under control.

3. Holding still

After reaching the deeper water, animals should be held and kept calm for as long as possible.
This is crucial stage in case of a mass stranding, because it is very important that any stragglers will catch up before the pod is released together. Otherwise a re-stranding can occur.

4. Release

After the animal is released, you may be asked by DoC rangers together with other rescuers to form a human chain parallel to the shore. This chain will create a barrier between the released animals and the beach so they would go deeper into the ocean. Just beware of any boats that DoC might use to help with herding offshore.

5. Return to shore

When the animals are released and are moving away from the shore, you and other rescuers will need to return to the shore. Boats may assist.
- Please help collecting the equipment left on the beach.
- Help in additional cleaning tasks such as removing dead animals, or helping DoC staff to take scientific samples from dead animals.

In my next post I write about the personal safety of the people involved in the rescue and about additional stranding facts. You can read it here

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One of the Maori tales tells us of the legendary Maui fishing trip. Maui was a demigod mentioned in many Maori legends. In this fishing trip Maui used a magical fishing hook made from Paua shell and some other ingredients to pull from sea depths the land, which is now called New Zealand. You can read more about Maui in my article titled King of New Zealand’s Mythology. But in this article I would like to tell you about Paua – one of the New Zealand’s icons.

Paua in the Science

The scientific name of Paua is Haliotis iris. It is a marine mollusk famous for its overflowing pearl shells. Paua lives only in New Zealand’s coastal waters. Paua belongs to Haliotidae family or simply abalone (“sea-ear” or “ear shell”). More than one hundred different types of mollusks of this family are thermophilic, and live near the American Pacific coast, African coasts and Mediterranean Sea. But only New Zealand’s Paua has a unique mother-of-pearl sink.

On the following image you can see Paua with half of its shelf polished. Notice the unusual pattern of colors, which makes Paua so unique.

Origin and family of Paua

Names of mollusks from the Haliotidae family differ between countries. As I already mentioned they called Paua in New Zealand, Baui in Burma, Avabi in Japan, Ormier in UK and France, Ear Shell in Australia, and Perlemon in South Africa. In the west a name abalone or sea-ear is most common. Though these mollusks differ slightly from each other in every country, they still belong to one family. All of them are ear-shaped with small holes near the outer edge of the shell, living in coastal waters.

In order to resist the waves abalone developed a “leg” which sticks so firmly to the rocks that you can’t detach it without using a knife. They eat algae and microorganisms through the “mouth area” and in the same area they have gills for breathing. Sea-ears can be males and females but they have an external fertilization. In spawning period mollusk throws out thousands or even millions (depending on body size) eggs, but only one percent of them reaches puberty. Being sedentary mollusks, Sea-ears nevertheless commit daily and seasonal migration in search of food and to escape from their enemies such as fish, crabs, octopus, sea stars and some carnivorous snails.

Paua as beauty and delicacy

Paua has the most colorful sink in the world, and other mollusks from Haliotidae family can’t compete with its shine and beauty. After polishing, Paua sink’s colors vary between green, pink, blue and Purple. Some Paua have even golden shells and dark shades of red. These colors make Paua shells an attractive material for different crafts. Maori traditionally use Paua shells for encrustation of their products. The carving art of Maori goes back many ages, and since they didn’t have writing for a long time, they used to express themselves through different, very interesting and beautiful ornaments. Paua craft products are still valuable: jewelry and other crafts are still being made using Paua shells.
Once there was a house in town of Bluff was a whole house decorated with 1170 Paua shells. Now these shells are displayed in Canterbury Museum.

However Paua are not only beautiful, they are also very tasty and was very common in Maori diet. Reaching the size of steaks, after a special preparation the Paua meat is a delicacy. The special Maori preparation of Paua consists of burying it in the ground for several weeks in order to soften it. Paua also has healing properties – it is reach in minerals, vitamins and proteins, which improve the overall health and tonus of the human body, improve the work of the heart and immune system.

Protecting Paua

Nowadays there are strict quotas on gathering Paua. Paua under certain size can’t be taken from the sea, people aren’t allowed to use diving equipment when gathering Paua and other restrictions are applied. Nevertheless there are plenty of places in New Zealand where you can buy a Paua jewelry and eat Paua delicacies.

Click on the thumbnail to view larger photo.

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Pied Shags are mostly silent and they make noise only when nesting. Then they make gurgling sounds and guttural croaks. They nest in small colonies in a trees which grow on cliffs, laying eggs in January to March and July to October. The clutch of three to four pale bluish-green eggs is incubated for twenty five to thirty three days. The chicks fledge at 47 to 60 days old and are fed by the parents for up to eleven weeks after fledging. Their nests are usually large platforms made from sticks and seaweed. They eat mostly fish such as smelt, mullet, perch, flounder and eels.

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Tuatara Facts

1. The Diet
Tuatra eats mostly invertebrates such as beetles, weta, spiders, worms and millipedes. Sometimes lizards, seabird chicks and eggs are also enter their menu. The bad thing is that Tuatara sometimes (rarely though) eat their young.

2. Dimensions
Adult males measuring up to half a meter in length and weight up to 1.5 kilograms when fully grown. The male has a crest of spines along his neck and down the back. He can fan them out when attracting females or when fighting other males.

3. Teeth
Tuatara have a single row of teeth in their lower jaw that fits between two rows of teeth in the upper jaw.

4. Color
Tuatara’s color ranges from brown to orange-red to olive green and they can change color over their lifetime. They shed moulting (their skin) once a year.

5. Additional Interesting Facts
Tuataras like cool weather – they can live in temperatures below five degrees by sheltering in burrows.
They mate not like other reptiles: the male mounts the female and passes sperm straight from his cloaca to hers. Male Tuatara doesn’t have a penis!
Tuatara have a gland beneath the skin on the head containing a “third eye”. Nobody knows what it is used for but some assume that it may help absorb vitamin D from sunlight or function as a biological clock.
Tuatara keep growing untill the age of 35, and their average lifespan is about 60 years but they probably live up to one hundred years!

Locations of Tuatara
About fifty thousand Tuataras live on Stephens Island in Cook Strait and another fifty thousand are located on other islands in the Marlborough Sounds and islands in the Hauraki Gulf, off Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty. Tuataras can survive on islands that are free of rodents and other predators.

Before whaling took its toll, southern right whales bred in Wellington harbour. Their cavorting was so loud a visitor in the 1800s complained the whales kept him awake all night. Today when a whale surfaces in these waters most watchers are spellbound. Motorists get caught in major traffic jams on the motorway when the tall fins of orca slice through the harbour waves. Seaside coffee sippers and kayakers are entertained when hundreds of dolphins regularly parade into town. Whales and dolphins excite the emotions and imagination of people. Wellington, with its sheltered inner harbour and outer rough and raw coastline, is lucky to live on the edge of their world. Keep your eye out for these show-stopping neighbours.

The Cook Strait takeaway bar
The waters around Wellington do not hold permanent whale populations, but there is something to offer both toothed and baleen whales that pass through each year. Toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, orca, sperm and beaked whales. Baleen whales include some of the biggest—southern right, humpback and blue whales. Deep Cook Strait canyons and food-bearing currents provide a rich larder, and Wellington harbour, shallow by comparison, offers a chance for rest and relaxation in warmer waters. Not far from the outer coast the sea floor drops to canyons more than 1000 metres deep. In the dark crevices live squid, a favorite food of deep-diving toothed sperm whales. For baleen whales, Cook Strait provides a rich ‘soup’ of fish and tiny animals that can be sieved from the ocean through their giant baleen plates. The soup is mixed by currents swirling through the canyons and over reefs, stimulating the growth of tiny planktonic plants and attracting zooplankton, which in turn are eaten by fish.

Which Whales are found around Wellington?
Twenty-three whale species have been seen passing through Wellington’s waters, though some are very rare and only join the record books when they strand or wash up on shore.

Common visitors
Our most frequent Wellington visitors are dolphins—the common dolphin and orca. Both can be spotted all year round, but are most likely seen between February and April.

Common dolphin
Playful pods of common dolphins are regular visitors to Wellington. Hundreds and sometimes thousands can chop the harbour waves or leap along the coast. Usually less than two-metres long, the common dolphin can be recognised from its colour, distinctive beak and low, smoothly sloping head. Animals are dark grey or purplish-black on top, and white and cream below.Watch out for them as they surface to breathe. Unlike us their breathing is not unconscious. They can sleep only by resting one side of their brain at a time.

Orca (Killer whale)
Pods of orca, power into Wellington for a pit stop of their favourite meal. They like to dig the muddy sea bottom for stingrays and there is a good supply of these in the shallow basin of Wellington Harbour. They also eat seals and dolphins. An estimated 150 to 200 orcas make regular laps around New Zealand, moving between the north of the North Island and Kaikoura in the south. Common behaviour—the sort that brings Hutt motorway traffic to a standstill—is spy hopping (a tail-stand and 360 degree turn), breaching and slapping flippers on the water. The tall, 1.8 metre dorsal fin of the bull is also very recognizable. The orca is the largest member of the dolphin family. The name killer whale was originally ‘whale killer’—named by Spanish sailors who saw them hunt larger whales. Despite their fierce reputation, no records exist of deliberate fatal attacks on people. But it still pays to treat them with respect.


Occasional visitors

Humpback whale
Humpback whales commute through Cook Strait each year, between summer feeding in Antarctic waters and winter breeding in the Pacific. Two were seen in Lyall Bay in 1999.

Southern right whale
Right whales also travel past. They once numbered 60,000. Today, after whaling, only a few thousand remain. One visited Wellington harbour in 1997.

Sperm whale
Some sperm whales hangout in Cook Strait all year round. They were once hunted for their oil to make medicines and candles. These days people visit them, at the southern end of Cook Strait, on whale-watching tours from Kaikoura. The minke and long finned pilot whales and dusky and bottlenosed dolphins are also more likely to be spotted from boats than from shore.

Very rare visitors
Five species of beaked whales have come ashore around Wellington—the Arnoux’s, Cuvier’s, Andrew’s, Gray’s and Hector’s beaked whales. Other strandings include the straptooth, blue, pigmy right and pygmy sperm whales.

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