List of New Zealand species extinct in the Holocene

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/list-of-new-zealand-species-extinct-in-the-holocene

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic location?South Pacific Ocean, Oceania
2. What is the epoch of extinction?Holocene (approx. 11,650 years BP to present)
3. What were some of the animals that lived in New Zealand before humans came?New Zealand was home to the giant flightless moa and the small, nocturnal kiwi. Both were famous examples of the island’s unique wildlife.
4. Why did many animals in New Zealand disappear after humans arrived?New Zealand had no many land mammals, so its birds and reptiles were not prepared to fight new predators like rats, cats, and stoats that humans brought. These new animals ate eggs, young, and even adult birds, causing many species to disappear.

Endemic Biota: Species or organisms found exclusively in a particular geographic area.
Anthropogenic Impact: Environmental changes caused or influenced by humans.
Interspecific Competition: Competition for resources between individuals of different species.