The long history of isolation and remoteness from
other continents has created a unique , in many ways, natural world of New Zealand, featuring a large number of
endemic plants and birds. About 1000 years ago, before the human beings’ settlements
on the islands there were no mammals. The exceptions were the two species of
bats, some whales, sea lions and fur seals . With the arrival of the first
permanent inhabitants on these lands, the Polynesians, there appeared small
rats and dogs. Later, the first European settlers brought pigs, cows, goats,
mice and cats. The development of European settlement in the 19th century
brought some new and new types of animals to New Zealand . Only in New Zealand,
there were some traces of the giant flightless MOA birds, disappeared about 500
years ago, they were about 3.5 m high. Later, presumably only about 200 years
ago, one of the largest known species of Eagles-Eagle Haasta was destroyed,
which had a wingspan up to 3 meters and
its weight was up to 15 kg. Among the reptiles found in New Zealand, there were
the
hatteria
and the skink. The only representative of the
Insectivores, imported to the country and went through adaptation was a European Hedgehog. There are no snakes in New
Zealand, and from the spiders a katipo is only poisonous. In fresh reservoirs
of the country there are up to 29 species of fish, 8 of which are on the verge
of extinction. There are up to 3000 species of fish and other marine creatures in
coastal seas. There are nearly 40
species of ants in New Zealand.