Why does New Zealand have so many unusual plants and animals?

Answer 1

New Zealand's fauna evolved in the almost complete absence of ground dwelling predators. There was no disadvantage in being flightless.

Even the Kakapo and the Pukeko prefer non-flight. The only real predators were the Falcon (Karearea), and the Haast eagle (Pouakai).

Answer 2

New Zealand Australia have both been isolated from other land masses for a long time. Thus the animals and birds were more or less free to develop via 'natural selection' as they chose. Both countries share a number of the bird types, such as moa, emu, and raptors such as hawks and eagles. The land mammals of Australia were not able to cross the Tasman Sea, but developed their diversity as with natural selection above.

In Australia, several quite new animal species developed, such as kangaroo, platypus, koala, and echinoderms.

Other land masses carried predator species, such as hyena and lion, which would have limited the ability of land mammals to develop.

Answer 3

That`s what makes NZ so unique with the native wildlife like the Takahe and Kiwi and of course the Kokako its a world in its own only discovered close to 200yrs ago by James Cook.

Maybe because of its rain forest appearance these unusual things are able to grow, Our living dinosaur called the Tuatara still lives in remote parts of the country.

add. New Zealand has spent a considerable time isolated from other lands, and like similar places (eg Madagascar, and Australia) it developed its own indigenous flora and fauna.

Many of the forest plants have association with Gondwanna areas such as S America, and tropical lands such as New Caledonia.

Answer 4

In the Island Continent of Australia, famously, the Kangaroo family which has many members, and only anciently related to other mammals. And the Monotremes, of which the Echidna and the Platypus are the best known.

In the avian community, there rae many endemic to Australia.

As for New Zealand, the alpine parrots, Kea and Kaka; and the ground dwelling parrot the Kakapo, are well known. The Kiwi is of the Ratite group, as is the Emu of Australia. New Zealand has only two endemic land mammals, both small bats. And both countries possess many unique species of insects.

The question is too broad for a full answer, but as to the why, island living, and small populations both encourage speciation.

Answer 5

The New Zealand Edelweiss, of which there several species are unique to this country. These plants look very similar to the Edelweiss of the European Alps, Leontopodium alpinum, and one of the NZ species is named Leucogenes leontopodium for this association. They are however not botanically related.

Like the European flower, they grow in rocky alpine situations, and have white star shaped petals, and hairy petals and leaves.

Answer 6

the climate and temperature it has weather patterns that are compatible with the plants grown there.