New Zealand is an island nation surrounded by expansive oceans. It is fitting that we have a rich and diverse coastal fauna.

Did you know that you can make some unique New Zealand animals from cardboard? Reuse some old boxes at your house and give this activity a go!

On a scorching hot day in 1989, near the small Central Otago town of St Bathans, a group of scientists were digging in the soil. What they would find would change our ideas about the animals that have lived in Aotearoa.

This article describes the evolutionary development of life in Aotearoa New Zealand and addresses the question of why our flora and fauna are so distinct. It introduces and explains the concepts of evolution and adaptation and offers a brief overview of how the land itself changed over many millions of years.

Have you got a little part of your garden where you could make a lizard friendly area to give them shelter and keep them safe?

Although dinosaurs may not rule the planet anymore, they are still a fascinating topic to discuss and also offer plenty of opportunities for fun games and activities.

Twiggy the Pukeko dreams that one day she will live in a warm, dry house. She meets Tua, a tuatara who knows a thing or two about energy from the sun. They visit the Green Dream House and meet Greeny, the owner. Twiggy’s head is soon spinning with facts about insulation, double glazing, solar energy, passive solar design, and a long list of ways to be energy efficient.

KCC has worked with some awesome NZ illustrators to bring you some easy-to-follow instructions on drawing some of our favourite NZ animals!

Aotearoa is home to 110 named species of endemic lizards, yet we don’t hear about them nearly as much as our 170 species of endemic birds. Our endemic lizard species are divided into geckos and skinks (tuatara aren’t lizards). Let’s have some fun learning all about Aotearoa’s lizards and tuatara this week!

Make your own green gecko with this fun craft activity from Margaret Tolland, who illustrated the Go Green Gecko book.

Can you work out who laid each of these eggs?

Leapin’ lizards! It’s Bill Nye’s episode on reptiles.

All mammals, animals like cats, dogs, squirrels and humans, are warm blooded. This means that our bodies make enough heat to keep our inside temperature the same all of the time. Fish, insects, snakes, and lizards are cold blooded. Their temperatures inside change with the temperature outside.

Investigate why the Sun is so important for tuatara and learn about the differences between ectotherms (‘cold-blooded’ animals) and endotherms (‘warm-blooded’ animals).

Bill Nye the Science Guy is bogged down with information about wetlands.

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-xrj01xi3E