List of New Zealand animals extinct in the Holocene facts for kids
Upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus)
This is an incomplete list of extinct animals of New Zealand. This list covers only extinctions from the Holocene epoch.
Contents
Mammals
Bats and the long extinct Saint Bathans mammal are the only land mammals known to have inhabited New Zealand before humans arrived. Fossil marine mammals have been found.
| Common name | Scientific name | Extinction date | Range | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater short-tailed bat | Mystacina robusta | 1965 | New Zealand | -- |
The "New Zealand Sealion" - the mainland species (or subspecies) of Sealion (Hooker's being the subantarctic one that has repopulated Otago). Bones found in Moa Hunter middens.
The "Chatham Island Sealion" - the Chatham species (or subspecies) of Sealion. Known to have been made extinct by hunting.
Birds
Extinctions since 19th-century European settlement
| Common name | Scientific name | Extinction date | Range | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Islands shore plover | Thinornis rossi | 1840 | New Zealand (Auckland Islands) |  |
| Bush wren | Xenicus longipes | 1972 | New Zealand |  |
| Chatham bellbird | Anthornis melanocephala | 1906 | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) |  |
| Chatham fernbird | Bowdleria rufescens | 1895 | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) |  |
| Chatham Islands penguin | Eudyptes chathamensis | 1872 | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) | -- |
| Chatham Islands rail | Cabalus modestus | 1900 | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) |  |
| Crested moa | Pachyornis australis | 1850s | New Zealand (South Island) | -- |
| Dieffenbach's rail | Gallirallus dieffenbachii | 1872 | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) | .png) |
| Finsch's duck | Chenonetta finschi | 1870 | New Zealand | -- |
| Hawkins's rail | Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi | 1890's | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) | -- |
| Huia | Heteralocha acutirostris | 28 December 1907 | New Zealand (North Island) |  |
| Laughing owl | Sceloglaux albifacies | 5 July 1914 | New Zealand |  |
| Lyall's wren | Xenicus lyalli | 1894 | New Zealand |  |
| Mysterious starling | Aplonis mavornata | 1774 | New Zealand (Cook Islands) | -- |
| New Zealand little bittern | Ixobrychus novaezelandiae | 1890s | New Zealand |  |
| New Zealand merganser | Mergus australis | 9 January 1902 | New Zealand (Auckland Islands) |  |
| New Zealand quail | Coturnix novaezelandidae | 1875 | New Zealand |  |
| North Island piopio | Turnagra tanagra | 1955 | New Zealand (North Island) |  |
| North Island snipe | Coenocorypha barrierensis | 1870 | New Zealand (North Island) |  |
| North Island takahē | Porphyrio mantelli | 1894? | New Zealand (North Island) | -- |
| South Island piopio | Turnagra capensis | 1963 | New Zealand (South Island) | |
| South Island snipe | Coenocorypha iredalei | 1960s | New Zealand (South Island) | -- |
Extinctions since Māori arrival
| Common name | Scientific name | Extinction date | Range | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adzebill | Aptornis defossor and Aptornis otidiformis | 16th century | New Zealand |  |
| Bush moa | Anomalopteryx didiformis | 15th century | New Zealand |  |
| Chatham Islands duck | Pachyanas chathamica | 17th century | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) | -- |
| Chatham raven | Corvus moriorum | 8000 BCE | New Zealand (Chatham Islands) | -- |
| Coastal moa | Euryapteryx curtus | 16th century | New Zealand |  |
| Eastern moa | Emeus crassus | 16th century | New Zealand (South Island) |  |
| Eyles's harrier | Circus eylesi | 1777 | New Zealand | -- |
| Giant moa | Dinornis sp. | 16th century | New Zealand | .jpg) |
| Haast's eagle | Hieraaetus moorei | 16th century | New Zealand (South Island) |  |
| Heavy-footed moa | Pachyornis elephantopus | 16th century | New Zealand (South Island) |  |
| Hodgen's waterhen | Gallinula hodgenorum | 16th century | New Zealand | -- |
| Long-billed wren | Dendroscansor decurvirostris | 14th century | New Zealand (South Island) | -- |
| New Zealand geese | Cnemiornis calcitrans and Cnemiornis gracilis | 16th century | New Zealand |  |
| New Zealand owlet-nightjar | Aegotheles novazelandiae | 13th century | New Zealand | -- |
| New Zealand raven | Corvus antipodum | 16th century | New Zealand | -- |
| New Zealand musk duck | Biziura delautouri | 16th century | New Zealand | -- |
| New Zealand swan | Cygnus sumnerensis | 16th century | New Zealand (South Island and Chatham Islands) | -- |
| Scarlett's duck | Malacorhynchus scarletti | 16th century | New Zealand | -- |
| Scarlett's shearwater | Puffinus spelaeus | 13th century | New Zealand (South Island) | -- |
| Snipe-rail | Capellirallus karamu | 13th century | New Zealand (North Island) | -- |
| Stout-legged wren | Pachyplichas yaldwyni | 11th century | New Zealand (South Island) | |
| Upland moa | Megalapteryx didinus | 16th century | New Zealand (South Island) |  |
| Waitaha penguin | Megadyptes waitaha | 14th century | New Zealand | -- |
Reptiles
- Kawekaweau, Delcourt's giant gecko, Hoplodactylus delcourti 1870, New Zealand
- Narrow-bodied skink, Oligosoma gracilicorpus 1955, New Zealand (North Island)
- Northland skink, Oligosoma northlandi (Late Holocene), New Zealand
Amphibians
- Aurora frog, Leiopelma auroraensis
- Markham's frog, Leiopelma markhami
- Waitomo frog, Leiopelma waitomoensis
Fish
| Common name | Scientific name | Extinction date | Range | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand grayling | Prototroctes oxyrhynchus | 1930s | New Zealand |  |
Annelida (Oligochaeta) Earthworms
- Tokea orthostichon 1861, New Zealand (Auckland).
Insects
- Mecodema punctellum 1931, New Zealand (Stephen Islands)
Molluscs
- Placostylus ambagiosus gardneri Land snail, Recent
- Placostylus ambagiosus hinemoa Land snail, Recent
- Placostylus ambagiosus lesleyae Land snail, Recent
- Placostylus ambagiosus priscus Land snail, Recent
- Placostylus ambagiosus spiritus Land snail, Recent
- Placostylus ambagiosus worthyi Land snail, Recent
Images for kids
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A kiore (Polynesian rat), introduced to New Zealand by the Māori.
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List of New Zealand animals extinct in the Holocene Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.