Page 8 - 2008 NZ Subantarctic Islands

the formerly unoccupied lands driving out the native birds and

plants. Huge sheep stations arose in the plains and caused
enormous change in the environment, destroying more plants and

birds.

Most destructive however was the importation of non-native
mammals and marsupials. The Maoris had brought the “fat pig”
with them as a food source. This pig was a rooting animal and

created considerable destruction of the ground nesting birds.
Worse though were the animals brought by Europeans: cats,

dogs, stoats, and possums (from Australia), weasels, rabbits, rats
and mice. The assault on paradise was bloody and final for many

species who had evolved with no defenses against these deadly
predators. In biology this is known as evolutionary naïveté. It is

estimated that over 50% of the bird species present at the
beginning of the human colonization of New Zealand have
nd
become extinct, 2 only to the species loss in the Hawaiian
Islands.

Evolution in New Zealand produced unique species, endemic to
the country (meaning they exist only there). 90% of the

freshwater fish, 80% of vascular plants, 70% of terrestrial and
freshwater birds, all bats, all amphibians, and all reptiles fit into

that category. This degree of endemism makes the loss of species
even more catastrophic. The slaughter of the flightless moas,
largest of any birds anywhere is a good example of what makes

extinction so heartbreaking. The Maoris hunted these birds to
extinction, long before any European had ever seen them. As a

matter of fact, scientists today believe that the total destruction
of the 10 species of moa was accomplished in less than 100 years

after the Maoris arrived. Because the Haast’s Eagle, largest eagle
in the world, was completely dependent on moas for food, it too

went extinct at the same time. Moas were huge birds, the largest
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