New Zealand’s native species evolved in isolation from other regions for millions of years after the last land bridge to Gondwana was lost. Birds and insects dominated our ecosystems, and the ...
Skinks and geckos are the only 2 native families of lizard found in New Zealand (note that tuatara are not lizards). They are vertebrates and belong to the class Reptilia. All our native skink ...
New Zealand has 4 species of native frogs that are all endemic. All 4 are threatened with extinction. A major focus of the amphibian research at the University of Otago is how to save these ...
In this activity, students have the opportunity to create a lizard-friendly habitat in the school grounds. The extension activity involves designing a suitable environment for keeping lizards in ...
In this activity, students learn about eels and/or whitebait and how human activity has impacted on their lives. Students learn about obstacles these taonga face and about possible solutions ...
In this activity, students learn about the Ake Ake model and how it was used with iwi on the Waikato River in the Huntly area. Students then explore changes in their local environment from a ...
FrogID is an Australian app that uses audio of frogs’ unique calls to identify various species and their locations. We can use it in New Zealand to record the location of introduced frogs. There ...
The Great Kererū Count is New Zealand’s biggest citizen science project to help gather information on the abundance and distribution of the endemic New Zealand pigeon. The 2020 count takes place ...
Skink Spotter NZ is interested in weather conditions that best suit skinks to be active. This information will enable the research team to consider how skink activity might change as the climate ...
Many resources on the Science Learning Hub explore ideas about conservation and related issues. This online PD session recorded on 14 May 2015 shows primary teachers how to navigate the Hub to ...
What difference can a couple of activities make? Quite a bit if you talk to the year 3 team at Hillcrest Normal School. Water pollution and the Waikato River was a focus of inquiry for the team ...
With 75% of New Zealanders living within 10 km of the coast, many students will be familiar with estuaries. In scientific terms, estuaries are the interface between the land and the sea – the ...
Dr Phil Bishop, from the University of Otago, talks about his research into metabolic bone disease. This disease only affects captive frogs, and the cure involves an elaborate UV tanning booth ...
Dr Phil Bishop, from the University of Otago, talks about the challenges and the importance of breeding frogs in captivity.
Mainland sanctuaries, also known as mainland islands, are an important conservation strategy in New Zealand. In this video clip, Associate Professor Alison Cree, from the University of Otago ...
Explore this interactive to learn more about New Zealand’s unique reptiles and amphibians.
Dr Candida Savage explains the clues she collects in estuaries and fiords, to understand how changes in land use affect these environments.
Learn how farms can keep waterways healthy for those downstream and for our precious native freshwater fish, all while benefiting farm health and the farming operation’s bottom line.
