Hello! To start off your Ambassador work, can you tell us about some of the wildlife in your country? Thank you! (If you would like a different question, let me know)!
Let me just say that New Zealand wildlife is, essentially, just an ass-load of birds and insects. We also have very few poisonous animals!
I’ll elaborate a bit more under the cut.
A significant portion of New Zealand’s native wildlife is made up of birds, the most notable of them all being the kiwi. Way, way, way back in the day ( before humans inhabited New Zealand ) there were no natural predators for birds and thus many of our native birds are flightless. Of course with the introduction of humans, stoats, ferrets, etc. this has decreased the number of native bird species in New Zealand and many of our native bird species are endangered, but we are lucky enough to still like, have some. Some notable New Zealand birds are:
Kea ; They’re cheeky bastards who will fuck with you if given the chance.
Kiwi ; Our national icon and, despite their appearance, can be really mean and will probably attack you.
Moa ; Extinct, but holy shit they were huge.
Tui ; Beautiful singers that are easily identifiable by the giant white balls on it’s neck.
As far as poisonous animals go, New Zealand has very few native poisonous animals. There are only two dangerous species of spider ( white-tails can be considered dangerous but usually won’t kill you ) and only one of those are actually native to New Zealand. Sea-wise there are a few poisonous creatures, but you probably won’t end up running into one of them at the beach.
New Zealand is incredibly strict on what animals can enter the country and as such we do not have snakes, foxes, gerbils, beavers, or any large non-farm mammal ( excluding at the zoo, of course ). This is mainly to protect and preserve our native flora and fauna.
Just a few fun facts to finish off on:
The only native mammal to New Zealand are bats.
We have so many goddamn birds.
Unlike Australia, our animals probably don’t want to kill you.
Yes, we have lots of sheep.
If you drive down the state highways, I can guarantee you that you’ll see a bunch of cows, horses, and sheep.
[ Sources used: Science Learning Hub, Department of Conservation NZ, Environmental Protection Authority, and the official travel website of New Zealand ]
