Poisonous snakes of New Zealand. In New Zealand, snakes are illegal. The former patron was depicted in the guise of a serpent
If you hate snakes and want to avoid encountering them at all costs, you should definitely go to New Zealand. After all, snakes are simply prohibited there (so much so that even their very existence is illegal).
Not only does this mean that you will never find a snake in the New Zealand wild (even if you do, it will soon be mercilessly destroyed). You can't keep snakes as pets there either. They are prohibited from being kept in zoos, research institutions or anywhere else. However, the owner of the snake will not get off with a small fine - just ask Nathan Bush.
In 2011, Bush purchased a pet snake. When she was discovered, he was brought to trial and sentenced to four months in prison. That's how serious New Zealand is about snakes. Essentially, if a New Zealander simply becomes aware of the existence of a snake in their country, they are legally obligated to report it to the authorities to help keep the country completely free of these reptiles.
Snakes are completely absent, at least on land in New Zealand. Fighting their sea counterparts, as you understand, is a little more difficult. Land snake species are not allowed into the country because none of them are native to the New Zealand islands.
New Zealand is famous for many things, including as the “land of the hobbits” (it was in this country that the film “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed). And, as it turns out, you can find a hissing Gollum there rather than a real snake. This is simply surprising given its proximity to southern Australia, home to some of the world's most dangerous snakes.
New Zealand is one of the few areas in the world where there are no snakes at all. Besides it, these are Greenland, Antarctica and partly the Hawaiian Islands. So if you are afraid of creepy crawlies, now you know where to go on holiday!
New Zealand is a country that will surprise every traveler picturesque natural and rare wildlife. When you get here, you literally find yourself in a fairy tale, where the landscapes amaze with their pristineness and grandeur.
New Zealand nature and animals that live in it harmoniously, are the basis of the mood of this state.
If you are wondering which animals in New Zealand are unique representatives of the local fauna, then you it will be interesting to know learn more about the flora and fauna of these islands in the Pacific Ocean.
A thousand years ago When there were no permanent inhabitants on the islands, there were no mammals living in New Zealand, except for two species of bats, as well as whales, sea lions and seals that lived in coastal waters.
As soon as Polynesians began to actively populate New Zealand lands, dogs and rats appeared on the islands, and later Europeans brought goats, cows, pigs, cats and mice to New Zealand.
Such a turn of events became a real test for the fauna of the islands. Rabbits, rats, stoats, ferrets and cats, which were brought in for hunting, reached large sizes because they had no natural enemies.
At one time this caused great harm to agriculture, as well as to public health. Flora and fauna of New Zealand was under real threat!
Currently, New Zealand environmental authorities flora and fauna are carefully controlled New Zealand, and some areas were completely rid of animals that pose a threat to the fauna and flora.
Animals of New Zealand that can be named the most striking representatives of the fauna of this country:
- Kiwi bird;
- kea parrot;
- owl parrot;
- tuateria;
- European hedgehog
Interesting fact! In New Zealand, the remains of flightless giant moi birds, exterminated more than five hundred years ago, were found, the height of which was three and a half meters.
New Zealand's animals also include freshwater fish, of which there are twenty-nine species. Eight of them are now on the verge of extinction. Also in this country lives more than 40 species of ants.
Why are there no snakes in New Zealand?
For a long period of time it was believed that in New Zealand there are no snakes.
But in the 2000s a group of researchers from Australia and New Zealand discovered the remains of these reptiles.
This discovery provided evidence that approximately 15-20 million years ago There were snakes in New Zealand after all.
But for what reason these animals became extinct is not known to this day. A number of scientists suggest that this happened due to the ice age.
Snakes are simple couldn't stand the cold, and since New Zealand is located at a fairly distant distance from civilization, new species of reptiles could not be brought here in time.
The question arises, “Why aren’t snakes brought to New Zealand today?” Of course, if there was such a need, snakes could have been brought here, for example, from neighboring Australia, but that is not the question. The fact is that snakes in New Zealand outlawed.
Attention! Breeding or keeping this reptile at home is strictly prohibited! Also, those who accidentally saw a snake but did not report it to the relevant authorities will also face a fine.
But still, there are snakes in New Zealand, but not terrestrial ones, but sea ones - the sea krait and the yellow-bellied bonito. These reptiles were left alive only because they do not crawl onto land and are practically never found off the coast of New Zealand.
So why are the authorities doing this? reverently and categorically Do you think about snakes appearing in New Zealand? The answer is that the snakes would immediately destroy the main symbol of the country - the kiwi bird.
However, despite strict control, there is still a certain advantage in the absence of snakes in New Zealand - the country is considered one of the safest countries in the world for outdoor travel.
Flora of New Zealand
New Zealand plants are approximately two thousand different species, 70% of which are endemic to the islands.
As for New Zealand world famous forests, in which the most iconic films are shot, they are divided into two types - evergreen in the south and mixed subtropical in the north.
Artificial forests, that is, planted by humans, occupy an area of about 2 million hectares. These are forests of radiata pine, which were brought to New Zealand by colonists in the 19th century. The radiata pine forest, which is located in the Kaingaroa Forest area, is the largest on the planet artificially grown planting.
In addition, on the islands of New Zealand liver moss grows, of which there are a large number here. Today, more than six hundred of its varieties are known on the territory of this state, half of which are endemic.
Also growing in New Zealand thirty types of forget-me-nots out of seventy known in the world.
The flora of New Zealand is also famous for its ferns. This marvelous, since the New Zealand climate is far from the most suitable for this plant.
Cyathea silver or silver fern - one of the national symbols New Zealand.
As for the diversity of herbs, the island of the archipelago grows 187 species of herbaceous plants, of which 157 grow in New Zealand alone.
Like this controversial and interesting flora and fauna in New Zealand. A large number of different species of birds - from exotic small birds to huge flightless representatives of the avifauna. Undoubtedly, New Zealand's flora and fauna are one of the most interesting to learn.
New Zealand is considered one of the most beautiful and safest countries on Earth. There are a large number of green hills, beautiful fields without edges, clean rivers and clear lakes, clean air, excellent ecology.
On the territory of this country, snakes are not found both in nature and in entertainment and scientific centers. In this state, such reptiles are prohibited by law. It is prohibited to keep them or breed them for any purpose. And if you find a snake somewhere and do not inform the authorities, you face a fine.
The Ministry of Industry provided the authorities with data according to which there are no snakes in the country at all. We are talking specifically about terrestrial species, while there are still marine species in the waters of this state. These reptiles do not appear on land and are extremely rare near the New Zealand coast. Their bites are poisonous, but these animals are very small in size and when bitten, their poison cannot penetrate human skin, so they are not at all dangerous to people.
Perhaps in New Zealand, snakes are banned by the authorities because they would definitely exterminate the main state symbol - a wingless bird called “kiwi”. This would ultimately lead to the complete extinction of the species, because these birds live only here and you will not find them anywhere else. By the way, the word kiwi is also used to describe the inhabitants of the country, which is not at all offensive to them.
It is precisely because there are no snakes, large predators, mosquitoes and dangerous spiders here that this state is considered the most favorable and safe for tourists.
What is the reason for the lack of snakes in New Zealand?
Previously it was assumed that these reptiles did not exist in this state at all. But in the 2000s, researchers and archaeologists discovered the remains of snakes. Thanks to this discovery, it was proven that 20-23 million years ago these reptiles still lived here, but for some reason they still became extinct.
One of the reasons for the complete extinction of snakes is considered to be the ice age in the country. It is believed that the land snakes died out due to the extreme cold during this time and did not re-introduce themselves due to the fact that the islands are geographically isolated from each other.
However, they could well have appeared, for example, from Australia, where they are found in large numbers. But thanks to the harsh attitude of New Zealand policy towards these reptiles, they have little chance of resuming their habitat here.
Did you know that there are no snakes in New Zealand? And, not only are they not found in the wild, you won't even find them in local zoos and research laboratories.
Snakes are literally outlawed in New Zealand. Keeping and breeding reptiles of this species is strictly prohibited. You will be fined even if you simply saw a snake and did not report it to the appropriate authorities. However, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries, which is responsible, among other things, for environmental safety, the likelihood of such an incident is virtually zero, because there really are no snakes in the country.
True, we need to clarify, terrestrial snakes. Two species of sea snakes - the yellow-bellied bonito (Pelamis platurus - pictured) and the sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) - are still found in New Zealand waters. However, these snakes never crawl onto land, and cases of their appearance near the New Zealand coast are quite rare. However, both species are poisonous, but do not pose a serious danger to humans, since they are too small for their venom to penetrate human skin when bitten.
By the way, if land snakes did appear in New Zealand, they would inevitably exterminate the main New Zealand symbol - the flightless kiwi bird (pictured).
Also, due to the absence of dangerous snakes and poisonous spiders, New Zealand is considered one of the safest countries in the world for outdoor travel.
So why are there no snakes in New Zealand?
For a long time it was believed that there were never snakes on the New Zealand islands. However, in the early 2000s, researchers from New Zealand and Australia discovered the remains of these reptiles (National Geographic News: “Fossil Find Proves New Zealand Once Had Snakes”). This discovery proved that 15-20 million years ago, snakes in New Zealand, apparently, were still found, but for some reason they completely died out.
It is believed that this could have happened during the Ice Age, when a sharp cold snap occurred in New Zealand. Subsequently, the geographical isolation of the islands was the reason that this species did not appear in New Zealand again.
Of course, if desired, creeping reptiles could have been introduced into the country long ago. For example, from neighboring Australia, where there are more than enough snakes of various types. However, the strict policies of the New Zealand authorities leave little chance that the snakes will ever appear in New Zealand again.
You're probably wondering, what does Malakhov have to do with it? I just made a Coub with Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and at the same time I decided to add some useful information to the post. I'm done, kick me
