Many of New Zealand's native animals are found nowhere else in the world. Apart from bats and marine mammals (such as seals and dolphins), New Zealand has no native mammals! We do have lots of unique native fish, insects, birds, lizards and frogs.
We boast the world's only flightless parrot (the kakapo), and a bird with nostrils at the end of its beak (the kiwi), also flightless. Safe from predatory mammals, birds ran free on the ground and several species lost the use of their wings. A host of other animals have retained their ancient forms. Wingless crickets, known as weta, grew to take the place of mice in the food chain as they foraged on the forest floor, and a primitive frog bears live young.
New Zealand is known as the seabird capital of the world and is also home to a number of forest birds that live nowhere else on Earth.
Herpetofauna is the animal group that includes reptiles and frogs. New Zealand has tuatara, lizards such as geckos and skinks, and four species of native frog.
Bats are New Zealand’s only native land mammals. There are two surviving species: the long-tailed bat and the short-tailed bat.
Find out about marine mammals that live in our waters, including many species of dolphins, seals and whales.
An invertebrate is an animal, such as an insect or mollusk, that has no backbone or spinal column.
View information on New Zealand's native freshwater fish.
About 66 types of sharks are found in New Zealand waters ranging in size from the tiny pygmy shark which grows up to 27 cm long to the 12-metre long whale shark.
The value of conservation
Animals of the Chatham Islands
DOC HOTline - 24 hour emergency number
Phone 0800 DOCHOTline (0800 362 468) to report:
Sick or injured wildlifeWhale or dolphin strandings
