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This Sunday, November 3rd, is World Jellyfish Day, a time to celebrate these mysterious and wonderful gelatinous sea creatures. The katiaho rere or by-the-wind-sailor (Velella velella) are unique and… Audio

This week, we head south to Tautuku in the Catlins.  

It’s the site of Forest & Bird’s largest conservation area – the Lenz reserve is 550 hectares and is part of the catchment for the Tautuku and… Audio

To celebrate World Reptile Day, we're talking about the elusive and cryptic Moko-papa Waitaha gecko. Audio

This week's critter is the seaweed isopod, Paridotea ungulata. Seaweed isopods are true masters of camouflage. Their bright green bodies blend perfectly with their favourite habitat (and food) - sea… Audio

Paua are a national treasure, as iconically Aotearoa as pineapple lumps and kiwi. Paua have a long history as a source of meaty protein and decoration. This week's critter is the Manawatawhi paua… Audio

This week's critter is the prickly shark (Echinorhinus cookie), an uncommon species of deep-sea shark that lives throughout the Pacific Ocean. All sharks have rough skin, but this shark has… Audio

Looking for a spider to fall in love with? Well, this week's critter is a real head-turner. The endemic black-headed jumping spider, Trite planiceps, loves dancing, hunting and snuggling up in a cozy… Audio

The elusive and beautiful tokoriro, Occultastella morgana, was only recently discovered on the Denniston Plateau by Massey University Professor Steve Trewick. This remarkable species is just one of… Audio

This week's critter is the kaunga (New Zealand hermit crab, Pagurus novizealandiae). Audio

The wee creature featured today is the Shore skink or Mokomoko. Audio

Behold! globular springtails (Dicyrtoma spp.). Audio

This week's critter is a trematode (also known as a fluke) that has chosen to parastitise not one, but three separate animals. Audio

This week's critter is large and hairy and grows in the remote and inclement Subantarctic Islands. Audio

The grey side-gilled sea slug (Pleurobranchaea maculata) might look unassuming, but it holds the title of Aotearoa's New Zealand's most toxic creature. Audio

This week's critter, found above the treeline in Ka Tiritiri o te Moana the Southern Alps, highlights the resilience and diversity of our alpine fauna. Audio

Patangaroa or sun stars are a species of starfish found in the intertidal zones of Te Ika-a-Maui and the West Coast of the Te Waipounamu. Audio

This week's critter is the ro, also known as the smooth stick insect, whe or Clitarchus hookeri - our most common native stick insect. Smooth stick insects have a range of superpowers: as well as… Audio

This week’s critter is the pūtawa or bracket fungus (also known as white punk, pangu or morepork bread). The fruiting body of this fungus looks a bit like a caramel-coloured flying saucer that crashed… Audio

This week's critter, the great giant scale, (Coelostomidia zealandica) is a native specie of scale bug. Females have pink wingless bodies and look like they have terrible dandruff, with a dusting of… Audio

Is it a crab? Is it a spider? It's a crab spider! The common square-ended crab spider (Sidymella angularis) to be precise.  Audio