Maud Island
| Maud Island | ||
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| Waters | Marlborough Sounds ( South Pacific ) | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 1 ′ S , 173 ° 53 ′ E | |
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| length | 3.5 | |
| surface | 3.1 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 368 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Maud Island (in the Maori language: Te Hoiere ) is a small island belonging to New Zealand . With about 310 hectares it is the second largest island in the Marlborough Sounds , a group of islands in the Cook Strait . It is administered and maintained by the Department of Conservation .
fauna
On Maud Island there is a nature reserve of high zoological importance, to which only scientists and conservationists have access. Visitors are only allowed to enter the island with special permission.
In 1974, thanks to the efforts of the New Zealand ornithologist Don Merton, the kakapo was introduced here. Of the 125 individuals of this species, 17 live on Maud Island.
The South Island Takahe , a rare New Zealand rail, was brought to the predator and rat-free island in 1985 and has found a second home here.
Another rare animal species on this island is the pakeka or Maud Island frog ( Leiopelma pakeka ), which was split off from the Hamilton frog ( Leiopelma hamiltoni ) in 1998 and has since been regarded as a separate species.
Web links
- Te Pākeka / Maud Island (Scientific Reserve) . Department of Conservation ,accessed December 25, 2015.
- Maud Island / Te Hoiere Scientific Reserve . Department of Conservation, archived from the original onOctober 15, 2008; Retrieved December 25, 2015(English, original website no longer available; contains further information).