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Native Island
Native Island is off the east coast of Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is north east of Ulva Island in the northern mouth of Paterson Inlet. It is separated from Stewart Island by a narrow channel in width. There has been evidence of small and temporary past Māori settlements on the island. Multiple Māori relics have been found, including bone fish hooks, axes, and chisels. Native Island is part of the Ulva Island-Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve, which is on the south part of Native Island. History In the early 19th century, there were Māori battles fought on Native Island. The island was deserted in the 1840s after visiting ships brought measles, triggering a deadly epidemic. Survivors held a ''korero'' and agreed to set fire to their homes before leaving the island. In the Antarctic ''Southern Cross'' Expedition in 1898–1900, 92 huskies, Samoyeds and Greenland Esquimaux dogs were held in Native Island (with government reluctance) for temporary quarantin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paterson Inlet
Paterson Inlet (officially Paterson Inlet / Whaka a Te Wera) is a large natural harbour—specifically a ria—in the eastern coast of Stewart Island, New Zealand. Much of the land surrounding Paterson Inlet is unspoilt forest, and runoff into the harbour is especially clean. History This region was first inhabited by the Māori, who settled at a locale known as ''The Neck'', which is a long peninsula that extends across the mouth of the inlet from the southern coast. The only town on Stewart Island, Oban is located on the north coast of the inlet, close to its mouth. In earlier times, the inlet was used as a base for whaling. Southern right whales were the main target in this area and over exploited. However, their sightings around the island are increasing recently. Geography Paterson Inlet has three main arms; North Arm and South West Arm lie at the upper reaches of the inlet, 15 kilometres from its mouth. Big Glory Bay, the third arm of the inlet, lies behind The Ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambergris
Ambergris ( or ; ; ), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. It acquires a sweet, earthy scent as it ages, commonly likened to the fragrance of isopropyl alcohol without the vaporous chemical astringency. Ambergris has been highly valued by perfume makers as a fixative that allows the scent to last much longer, although it has been mostly replaced by synthetic ambroxide. It is sometimes used in cooking. Dogs are attracted to the smell of ambergris and are sometimes used by ambergris searchers. Etymology The English word ''amber'' derives from Middle Persian ʾmbl, traveling via Arabic (), Middle Latin ''ambar,'' and Middle French ''ambre'' to be adopted in Middle English in the 14th century. The word "ambergris" comes from the Old French ''ambre gris'' or "grey amber">-4; we might wonder whether there's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Islands Of The Southland Region
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rare ..., and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by country or location Africa Antarctica Asia Europe North America Oceania South America Lists of islands by continent Lists of islands by body of water By ocean: By other bodies of water: List of ancient islands Other lists of islands External links Island Superlatives {{South America topic, List of islands of * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convolvulus
''Convolvulus'' is a genus of about 200 to 250''Convolvulus''. Flora of China.''Convolvulus'' The Jepson eFlora. 2013. species of s in the family ,Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press. with a |
Golden Sand Sedge
''Ficinia spiralis'' (pīngao, pīkao, or golden sand sedge) is a coastal sedge endemic to New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands). Originally widespread, it has suffered severely from competition with introduced marram grass and animal grazing and now has only a patchy distribution. Description Pīngao is a stout, grass-like plant, 30–90 cm tall, from the sedge family, found on active sand dunes. It is found only in New Zealand and is easily distinguished from other dune species such as spinifex or marram grass. Seen from a distance, pīngao patches have a distinctive orange hue. Most plants produce long, prostrate, tough rope-like stolons that creep along the sand surface until buried by shifting sand, leaving just the upper portion of leaves exposed. Some southern South Island populations produce dense tussock-like plants without extensive stolons. Numerous tough, roughly textured leaves are borne in dense tufts on well-spaced, short, upright stems (tillers), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muehlenbeckia
''Muehlenbeckia'' or maidenhair is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. It is native to the borders of the Pacific, including South and North America, Papua New Guinea and Australasia. It has been introduced elsewhere, including Europe. Species vary in their growth habits, many being vines or shrubs. In some environments, rampant species can become weedy and difficult to eradicate. Description Species of ''Muehlenbeckia'' vary considerably in their growth habits; they may be perennials, vinelike, or shrubs. All have rhizomatous roots. Their leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, usually with stalks ( petioles), but sometimes stalkless (sessile). The brownish ocrea is short and tubular, soon disintegrating. The inflorescences may be terminal or axillary, and are in the form of spikes or clusters, with at most very short peduncles (flowering stems). Individual flowers have pedicels (stalks). The flowers may be bisexual or unisexual, with sometimes a mixtur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprosma
''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Coprosma'' means "smelling like dung" and refers to the smell (methanethiol) given out by the crushed leaves of a few species. Many species are small shrubs with tiny evergreen leaves, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves. The flowers have insignificant petals and are wind-pollinated, with long anthers and stigmas. Most species are dioecious, but some (particularly those native to New Zealand) species can sometimes have individuals with perfect flowers. Natural hybrids are common. The fruit is a non-poisonous juicy berry, most often bright orange (but can be dark red or even light blue), containing two small seeds. The orange fruit of the larger species were eaten by Māori children, and are also popular with birds. It is said ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheila Natusch
Sheila Ellen Natusch (née Traill, 14 February 1926 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand writer and freelance illustrator. Many of her books cover natural history and the history of southern New Zealand, particularly Stewart Island. Early life and family Born Sheila Ellen Traill in Invercargill on 14 February 1926, Natusch was the daughter of Robert Henry "Roy" Traill, whose father had emigrated to New Zealand from Orkney, and Michigan-born Dorothea Ellen Traill (née Moseley). Through her father, Natusch was the great-granddaughter of Eliza Wohlers and her husband, German missionary Johan Wohlers. She grew up on Stewart Island, where her father was the wildlife ranger for 33 years, and received her secondary education at Southland Girls' High School. She then studied at Dunedin Teachers' Training College where she met and befriended Janet Frame. The two became lifelong friends; in fact Natusch was the first person to read Frame's manuscript for '' Owls Do Cry''. Later she s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuatara
The tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') is a species of reptile endemic to New Zealand. Despite its close resemblance to lizards, it is actually the only extant member of a distinct lineage, the previously highly diverse order Rhynchocephalia. The name is derived from the Māori language and means "peaks on the back". The single extant species of tuatara is the only surviving member of its order, which was highly diverse during the Mesozoic era. Rhynchocephalians first appeared in the fossil record during the Triassic, around 240 million years ago, and reached worldwide distribution and peak diversity during the Jurassic, when they represented the world's dominant group of small reptiles. Rhynchocephalians declined during the Cretaceous, with their youngest records outside New Zealand dating to the Paleocene. Their closest living relatives are squamates (lizards and snakes). Tuatara are of interest for studying the evolution of reptiles. Tuatara are greenish brown an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhytida Australis
''Rhytida australis'' is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae. Distribution This species is endemic to Stewart Island in New Zealand. Powell A. W. B., ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 They are also in Native Island Native Island is off the east coast of Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is north east of Ulva Island in the northern mouth of Paterson Inlet. It is separated from Stewart Island by a narrow channel in width. There has been eviden ..., which is an island off the east coast of Stewart Island. Life cycle The dimensions of the eggs of ''Rhytida australis'' are 2.75 × 2.25, 2.75 × 2, 2.75 × 2.25 mm. O'Connor A. C. (June) 1945. ''Notes on the Eggs of New Zealand Paryphantidae, With Description of a New Subgenus.'' Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, volume 5, 1945-46, page5457. References Rhytida ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Island Giant Moa
The South Island giant moa (''Dinornis robustus'') is an extinct species of moa in the genus ''Dinornis'', known in Māori language, Māori by the name moa nunui. It was one of the tallest-known bird species to walk the Earth, exceeded in weight only by the heavier but shorter extinct elephant bird of Madagascar. Taxonomy Moa were Ratite, ratites: large, flightless birds with a sternum, but lacking a Keel (bird anatomy), keel. They also had a distinctive jaw and palate. The origin of these birds is becoming clearer, and it is now believed that early, flighted ancestors of these birds dispersed into the Southern Hemisphere, where most flightless ratites have been found. Despite being geographically closer to the kiwi (bird), kiwi, phylogenetic analyses based on recovered DNA show moa to have been closest to the Central and South American tinamous. South island giant moa belong to the genus ''Dinornis'', and are placed within their own family, Dinornithidae, along with their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norway Rat
The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat and Norwegian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or grey rodent with a body length of up to long, and a tail slightly shorter than that. It weighs between . Thought to have originated in northern China and neighbouring areas, this rodent has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America, having become naturalised across the world. With rare exceptions, the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas. They are omnivorous, reproduce rapidly, and can serve as a vector for several human diseases. Selective breeding of the brown rat has produced the fancy rat (rats kept as pets), as well as the laboratory rat (rats used as model organisms in biological research). Both fancy rats and laboratory rats are of the domesticated su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
