New Zealand is an island nation with many rare wildlife species, such as dinosaur-like reptiles, Snares penguins or glowworms.
The baby Tuatara lizard emerges from the egg shell. (Photo: Mark MacEwen/BBC)
According to the Guardian, this is the species with the longest incubation period of all reptiles. Pictured is an underground nest of eggs dug by the mother about 16 months earlier. It is the only surviving member of an ancient reptile that flourished on Earth during the Jurassic period.
Snares penguin. (Photo: Mark MacEwen/BBC)
Snares penguins have just finished digging a maze through the forest to their nest area, creating a unique scene, like a city of penguins in a dwarf forest. During the breeding season, the penguins must climb a steep 130-meter cliff on the coast of the Snares Islands, a real challenge.
Penguins are moving on steep cliffs. (Photo: Mark MacEwen/BBC)
Glowing worm. (Photo: Mark MacEwen/BBC)
This is the larva of an insect called the mushroom fly. They glow to attract flying insects into sticky traps.
Kea Parrot. (Photo: Tom Walker/BBC)
Kea is the only mountain parrot in the world that can survive in the icy conditions of the Southern Alps. They are believed to have developed a foraging strategy during the last great ice age, when they had to learn to adapt using their unusual powers of curiosity.
Kiwi bird. (Photo: Screen Grab/BBC)
Kiwi eggs make up 20% of the mother's weight. Humans when pregnant, the baby accounted for only 5%. It is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak, allowing it to detect invertebrate prey underground. About the size of a heavy chicken, but in fact kiwi is closer to an ostrich.
Birds cheap fan. (Photo: Tom Walker/ BBC)
One of New Zealand's smallest and most agile birds, can live in the most toxic and corrosive environments here.
New Zealand sea lions. (Photo: Christina Karliczek/BBC)
This sea lion is one of the rarest and most threatened sea lions in the world. Most New Zealand sea lions today are descendants of a single female that was brought back here in 1993, after a 100-year absence.
Weta crickets. (Photo: Claire Thompson/BBC)
This cricket can grow up to 3.6 cm in length. Its strategy of fleeing predators is very effective. It can jump into the water and hold its breath for 5 minutes, long enough for the predator to leave. The giant weta cricket is the heaviest insect in the world, a prehistoric New Zealand feature that can reach the weight of a small bird.
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