Critter of the Week
Nicola Toki is the CEO of Forest and Bird and a self-confessed "nature nerd". Each week she talks to Jesse Mulligan about an uncharismatic but lovable member of New Zealand's wildlife community.
Get the book! Critters of Aotearoa is based on this Afternoon's segment and is available now at bookstores.
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Critter of the Week: Shore puha
6 Dec 2024Before spinach and silverbeet became our go-to greens, the humble puha was there. Puha or sow thistle might be an unassuming 'weed' that many of us pass without noticing, but they have been part of… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Te whai rahi | Giant manta ray
29 Nov 2024This week's critter is one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean. Te whai rahi, the giant oceanic manta ray, has a brain to body mass ratio similar to our own and is one of the only fish that… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Thread-legged bug
15 Nov 2024This week's critter is a curious and cryptic insect you've probably never heard of. The native thread-legged bug, Empicorus seorsus, is unique to Aotearoa and is one of only four thread-legged bugs… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Seaweed isopod | weri moana
18 Oct 2024This week's critter is the seaweed isopod, Paridotea ungulata. Seaweed isopods are true masters of camouflage. Their bright green bodies blend perfectly with their favourite habitat (and food) - sea… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Tokoriro, Occultastella morgana
30 Aug 2024The elusive and beautiful tokoriro, Occultastella morgana, was only recently discovered on the Denniston Plateau by Massey University Professor Steve Trewick. This remarkable species is just one of… Audio
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Critter of the Week
12 Jul 2024This week's critter is large and hairy and grows in the remote and inclement Subantarctic Islands. Audio
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Critter of the Week
14 Jun 2024Patangaroa or sun stars are a species of starfish found in the intertidal zones of Te Ika-a-Maui and the West Coast of the Te Waipounamu. Audio
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Critter of the Week
31 May 2024International World Turtle Day was celebrated recently, a day to shellerbrate the magnificent turtles of the world and call attention to the many threats they face in our oceans. Turtles are… Audio
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Critter of the Week: The Great Giant Scale
3 May 2024This week's critter, the great giant scale, (Coelostomidia zealandica) is a native specie of scale bug. Females have pink wingless bodies and look like they have terrible dandruff, with a dusting of… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Ram's Horn Squid
19 Apr 2024You might have come across the creamy white spiral shells of this week's critter on the beach. The enigmatic ram's horn squid, Spirula spirula is a squid-like cephalopod mollusc. Audio
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Critter of the Week
12 Apr 2024This week's critter is found on sandy beaches throughout Aotearoa. The mowhiti, or New Zealand sandhopper, is a sand-burrowing, beach-loving amphipod with impressive jumping abilities. Audio
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Critter of the Week: weweia New Zealand dabchick
22 Mar 2024This week's critter is the weweia New Zealand dabchick, also known as the New Zealand grebe. If the word 'grebe' gives you flashbacks (positive or otherwise) to last year's Bird of the Century… Audio
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Critter of the Week Fischer’s egg fungus
8 Mar 2024Summer is officially over and Autumn has begun. It's a time of year that fungi lovers across the country get excited about as all sorts of weird and wonderful fruiting bodies emerge out of the dark… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Seaweek with Lynne Freeman
1 Mar 2024Tomorrow March 2 is the beginning of Seaweek - Aotearoa's annual week for celebrating the sea. Seaweek has been going for over 30 years and aims to connect us to the sea. There are all sorts of… Audio
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Critter of the Week: black cockroach hunter wasp
16 Feb 2024If you're a native New Zealand cockroach, the ngaro wiwi black cockroach hunter wasp is the stuff of your worst nightmares. Audio
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Critter of the Week: waikaka black mudfish
2 Feb 2024Today is World Wetlands Day and this week's critter, the waikaka black mudfish, reveals just how vital these boggy ecosystems are for some of our more elusive and endangered fish species. Waikaka… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Giant land snail
26 Jan 2024The first Critter of 2024 is the largest snail in Aotearoa - the superb giant land snail, Powelliphanta superba. These snails are big, golden and fabulous, and they're a worm's worst nightmare! Audio
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Critter of the Week: Redcoat Damselfly
22 Dec 2023Santa isn't the only one zipping around in a red coat at this time of year. The beautiful redcoat damselfly, Xanthocnemis zealandica, is commonly seen flitting around streams and ponds all over the… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Kiwaia moth
15 Dec 2023This week's critter is a tiny jumping moth. The flightless and dusty-looking Kiwaia "Cloudy Bay" moth only lives on one type of mat daisy (Raoulia australis) in a few areas of north-eastern… Audio
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Critter of the Week: The Mt Arthur giant weta
8 Dec 2023Monday December 11 is International Mountain Day - a day to celebrate mountains and the incredible role they play in our world. It's also a great day to celebrate the Mt Arthur giant weta, Deinacrida… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Spittlebug
1 Dec 2023The week's critter is a native species of spittlebug. Spittlebugs get their common name from the spit-like substance the young bugs create on plants. Audio
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Critter of the Week: The giant nematode
24 Nov 2023This week's critter is a giant species of nematode (a type of worm) that is longer than a small shipping container and roughly the volume of an oil drum! The giant nematode, Placentonema gigantissima… Audio
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Critter of the Week: Alexander Beetle
17 Nov 2023The Alexander beetle is a beautiful iridescent green beetle that is only found in Canterbury. It's a fierce predator of critters smaller than itself and has long slender legs which are excellent for… Audio
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Critter of the Week: The Canterbury scree cicada
27 Oct 2023Summer is on its way and that means our cicadas are crawling their way out of the ground to sing up a storm. Did you know Aotearoa is home to the world's only alpine cicadas? It's the Canterbury scree… Audio
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Critter of the Week: The Hobbit Psyllid
20 Oct 2023You might find this tiny critter in a kowhai tree near you. The hobbit psyllid takes its scientific name from Frodo Baggins as both are smaller than their relations. It's also found in the South… Audio
