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Week 3: Native Animals and Ecosystems
Week 3: Native Animals and Ecosystems
Learning Focus
Learning Focus
Exploring native birds, insects and habitats.
Science
Science
Explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to environmental changes.
Possible Activities
Possible Activities
Research local birds and insects
Food chains and habitats
Ecosystem diagrams
Bird count around school
Week 3: Tuatara
Week 3: Tuatara
Tuatara Ms MacKenzie Reading/writing .pptxWrite to inform
Write to inform
Prompt: How does a tuatara survive in its Aotearoa New Zealand habitat?
Learning intention
Learning intention
We are learning to organise accurate information into clear paragraphs.
I will be successful when...
I will be successful when...
I can:
clearly introduce the tuatara
group related facts into paragraphs
begin each paragraph with a clear main idea
add facts and explanations
use accurate topic words
use simple and complex sentences
finish with a short conclusion
reread and check my punctuation and spelling
Interesting facts about Tuatara
Interesting facts about Tuatara
Introduction – What is a tuatara?
Introduction – What is a tuatara?
A tuatara is a rare reptile found only in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It looks like a lizard, but it belongs to a different group of reptiles.
It is the only surviving member of an ancient reptile group called Sphenodontia.
Its ancestors lived during the age of the dinosaurs about 200 million years ago.
Tuatara are considered a taonga species.
Reference: Department of Conservation – Tuatara
Appearance – What does it look like?
Appearance – What does it look like?
A tuatara has rough, scaly skin.
Its colouring can be olive-green, brown or orange-red.
A row of soft spines runs along its neck and back.
The word tuatara means “peaks on the back”.
An adult male can grow to about half a metre long and weigh up to 1.5 kilograms.
References: Department of Conservation – Tuatara and Te Ara – Tuatara
Survival features – How is it suited to its habitat?
Survival features – How is it suited to its habitat?
Its greenish-brown colouring helps it blend into plants, soil and rocks.
Its strong legs and sharp claws help it move across the ground and dig burrows.
Its burrow provides shelter when the temperature becomes too cold or hot.
Tuatara can remain active in cooler weather than most other reptiles.
A tuatara has a light-sensitive “third eye” on top of its head. Scientists think it may help the tuatara notice changes in light and control its daily or seasonal body rhythms.
References: Department of Conservation – Tuatara behaviour and Auckland Zoo – Tuatara
Habitat – Where does it live?
Habitat – Where does it live?
Tuatara once lived throughout mainland Aotearoa New Zealand.
Naturally wild populations are now mainly found on offshore islands.
These islands are near the north-east coast of the North Island and in the Marlborough Sounds.
Tuatara shelter in burrows, which protect them from very hot, cold or dangerous conditions.
Predator-free islands provide safer habitats because rats cannot eat young tuatara or their eggs.
Diet – What does it eat?
Diet – What does it eat?
Tuatara mainly eat small animals without backbones.
They eat wētā, beetles, worms, spiders and millipedes.
They may also eat snails, lizards and frogs.
Some tuatara eat seabird eggs and chicks.
Tuatara often search for food at night.
Reference: Department of Conservation – What tuatara eat
Threats and protection
Threats and protection
Threats
Threats
Rats are one of the most serious threats to tuatara.
Rats and other introduced predators eat tuatara eggs and hatchlings.
Mice compete with tuatara by eating insects and other small animals.
Fires and damage to island habitats can destroy tuatara homes.
Tuatara reproduce slowly, so populations take a long time to recover.
Protection
Protection
Tuatara are protected by New Zealand law.
Rats and other introduced predators are removed from some islands.
Conservation workers raise young tuatara until they are large enough to have a better chance of surviving.
Some tuatara are moved to predator-free islands and fenced sanctuaries.
Visitors can help by checking their bags, shoes and boats so that pests do not reach predator-free islands.
References: Department of Conservation – Tuatara threats and protection and Meet the Locals – Tuatara head-start programme
Gekos and lizards
Gekos and lizards
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