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and Wellington the wettest, receiving almost twice that amount.[167] Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all receive a yearly average of more than 2,000 hours of sunshine. The southern and southwestern parts of the South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1,400–1,600 hours; the northern and northeastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas of the country and receive about 2,400–2,500 hours.[168] The general snow season is early June until early October, though cold snaps can occur outside this season.[169] Snowfall is common in the eastern and southern parts of the South Island and mountain areas across the country.[163] The table below lists climate normals for the warmest and coldest months in New Zealand's six largest cities. North Island cities are generally warmest in February. South Island cities are warmest in January. Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the six largest cities of New Zealand[170] Location Jan/Feb (°C) Jan/Feb (°F) July (°C) July (°F) Auckland 23/16 74/60 14/7 58/45 Wellington 20/13 68/56 11/6 52/42 Christchurch 22/12 72/53 10/0 51/33 Hamilton 24/13 75/56 14/4 57/39 Tauranga 24/15 75/59 14/6 58/42 Dunedin 19/11 66/53 10/3 50/37 Biodiversity Main article: Biodiversity of New Zealand Kiwi amongst sticks The endemic flightless kiwi is a national icon. New Zealand's geographic isolation for 80 million years[171] and island biogeography has influenced evolution of the country's species of animals, fungi and plants. Physical isolation has caused biological isolation, resulting in a dynamic evolutionary ecology with examples of very distinctive plants and animals as well as populations of widespread species.[172][173] About 82% of New Zealand's indigenous vascular plants are endemic, covering 1,944 species across 65 genera.[174][175] The number of fungi recorded from New Zealand, including lichen-forming species, is not known, nor is the proportion of those fungi which are endemic, but one estimate suggests there are about 2,300 species of lichen-forming fungi in New Zealand[174] and 40% of these are endemic.[176] The two main types of forest are those dominated by broadleaf trees with emergent podocarps, or by southern beech in cooler climates.[177] The remaining vegetation types consist of grasslands, the majority of which are tussock.[178] Before the arrival of humans, an estimated 80% of the land was covered in forest, with only high alpine, wet, infertile and volcanic areas without trees.[179] Massive deforestation occurred after humans arrived, with around half the forest cover lost to fire after Polynesian settlement.[180] Much of the remaining forest fell after European settlement, being logged or cleared to make room for pastoral farming, leaving forest occupying only 23% of the land.[181] An artist's rendition of a Haast's eagle attacking two moa The giant Haast's eagle died out when humans hunted its main prey, the moa, to extinction. The forests were dominated by birds, and the lack of mammalian predators led to some like the kiwi, kakapo, weka and takahe evolving flightlessness.[182] The arrival of humans, associated changes to habitat, and the introduction of rats, ferrets and other mammals led to the extinction of many bird species, including large birds like the moa and Haast's eagle.[183][184] Other indigenous animals are represented by reptiles (tuatara, skinks and geckos), frogs,[185] spiders,[186] insects (weta)[187] and snails.[188] Some, such as the tuatara, are so unique that they have been called living fossils.[189] Three species of bats (one since extinct) were the only sign of native land mammals in New Zealand until the 2006 discovery of bones from a unique, mouse-sized land mammal at least 16 million years old.[190][191] Marine mammals however are abundant, with almost half the world's cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and large numbers of fur seals reported in New Zealand waters.[192] Many seabirds breed in New Zealand, a third of them unique to the country.[193] More penguin species are found in New Zealand than in any other country.[194] Since human arrival, almost half of the country's vertebrate species have become extinct, including at least fifty-one birds, three frogs, three lizards, one freshwater fish, and one bat. Others are endangered or have had their range severely reduced.[183] However, New Zealand conservationists have pioneered several methods to help threatened wildlife recover, including island sanctuaries, pest control, wildlife translocation, fostering and ecological restoration of islands and other protected areas.[195
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