Great White Sharks Great white sharks are more common in the waters around Australia, but you will find them in New Zealand too. These incredible creatures are one of the world's apex predators and unfortunately, there have been fatal incidents in Aotearoa. The most recent of these was in 2021 in the North Island.
With no land predators, except for birds of prey, birds in New Zealand evolved into a mix of flightless birds and melodic forest birds. As a result, you may find that many birds in New Zealand are likely to come to check you out when hiking in the forests as they don't see you as a threat.
Largest Animals in New Zealand
Whales are the largest mammals on the planet, and New Zealand is home to the biggest of the whale species: the blue whale, which is the largest known animal on Earth.
New Zealand has a very small number of poisonous and venomous animals. The grey side-gilled sea slug (Pleurobranchaea maculata) is an example of a poisonous animal. It is toxic when eaten. Venomous animals inject their toxins via a bite (for example, spiders) or sting (for example, wasps).
Whales. Whales are the world's largest mammals. Almost half the world's whale and dolphin species are found in New Zealand.
SAMBAR DEER (CERVUS UNICOLOUR)
The sambar is an outstanding game animal and one of the hardest deer to hunt. In New Zealand these deer can only be found in the North Island. The New Zealand trophies are the largest in the South Pacific. In 1992 NZTHL client Mike Warn harvested a new #1 world record.
Much like Hawaii, New Zealand is an island grouping devoid of native snakes. It also has no deadly spiders, killer jellyfish, or other creepy crawlies that are likely to kill you. Australia is home to all of those.
There are no dangerous animals in New Zealand
It's something you wouldn't do in Australia thanks to all those deadly snakes, spiders and other critters that might kill you. Somehow when the two countries physically separated some 85 million years ago, New Zealand's animals didn't evolve the same way.
Rest assured there are no snakes or crocodiles. We do have one poisonous spider (the Katipo) - sightings of which are about as common as that of the Yeti. The most dangerous creature you are likely to encounter is a grumpy possum.
Introduced - Captive in New Zealand
African Lions were first introduced to Paradise Valley Springs in the 1970's. The founding members of our current pride were retired circus Lions, born in Australia. We have been breeding Lions for over 30 years, and all of our Lions have been born at Paradise.
Peregrine falcons overseas have been recorded reaching speeds as high as 322 kph during its spectacular stooping hunting flights, making it the fastest animal in the world!
Size. Adult billies in New Zealand stand 60–80cm at the shoulder and weigh an average of about 42kg. Nannies are 60–70cm and around 30kg. The hindquarters of both sexes and the neck and shoulders of males may be shaggy.
The New Zealand gray wolf is a highly social animal, living in packs as large to hunt large prey and survive against other predators, including polar hounds. Their diet consists of deer, tahrs, guanacos, wild boars, tapirs and other animals. They also known to scavenge New Zealand elephant carcasses.
The dingo is Australia's largest land-based predator, occurring across most of the mainland and on many nearshore islands. Our new research, published in the journal Mammal Review, reveals the breadth and diversity of dingo diets across the continent.
Because when man first found these islands at the bottom of the world, there was nothing but birds. Aside from a couple of tiny bat species, New Zealand has no native land mammals. And with no predators to eat them, many of the native birds – including their beloved kiwi – never learned to fly.
Rottnest Island is known worldwide to be the home of the happiest animal on Earth – the Quokka (Setonix brachyurus). Close relatives of Wallabies, these tiny animals are found all over Rottnest Island, where their survival is largely attributed to the exclusion of any natural predators.
What are the dangers of swimming in New Zealand rivers and lakes? Like our beaches, NZ's rivers and lakes have their own set of dangers, but they aren't patrolled and many of their most dangerous hazards are hidden beneath the surface. As such, drownings in NZ rivers are more common than in any other water environment.
Although tiger sharks are sometimes found in relatively shallow water in the tropics, off New Zealand's coast they mostly seem to be found around bottom structure in 150-200m – basically the edge of the continental shelf.
Classified as vulnerable, their native habitats are found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. What is this? The Malayan Sun Bear is the smallest of the world's bear species. The female at the Wellington Zoo is currently the only bear in New Zealand.
The tuatara is actually exceedingly rare—they're found nowhere else in the world. They're New Zealand's largest reptile that reaches up to 1.8 feet long when fully grown.
Shared history
Australia was first settled around 50,000 years ago, and New Zealand around 1250–1300 CE. Europeans first thought about the two countries together when Charles de Brosses, a French scholar, described an imaginary southern continent called 'Australasie' (south of Asia) in 1756.
It's a common misconception that New Zealand has no snakes, but it's not the truth. Marine snakes, or sea snakes, are seen regularly in the waters around northern New Zealand when warm subtropical currents carry them south from out of the tropics. A yellow-bellied sea snake found at Whatipu in 2011.
Quokkas are playful, adorable and known for being cute as a button, which has recently landed them the title of 'world's happiest animal.
The quokka, a small marsupial native to Australia, is one such example of a species vulnerable to extinction in the country's harsh surroundings. Known as the “happiest animal in the world” due to its cute and friendly appearance, these creatures are now only found in a few isolated forests and small islands.
Why are Australian animals so unique? Australia's geographic isolation in the southern hemisphere, which has earned the country the colloquialism “The Land Down Under”, has meant that much of its animals are found nowhere else.