Two of New Zealand‘s most rare and beloved animals – a large flightless takahē bird and an ancient tuatara reptile – have been captured chasing and nipping at one another during a bush-floor melee.
Nick Fisentzidis, a department of conservation ranger on the pest-free Tiritiri Matangi Island near Auckland, saw the takahē attack the tuatara and quickly grabbed his phone to capture the rare footage.
“I saw them having a bit of a nip at each other,” Fisentzidis said. “The takahē definitely had a go at the tail of the tuatara, and they had a bit of a scrap.”
The video shows the takahē in hot pursuit of the tuatara, but the tables turn when the reptile squares up to the bird.
“I followed them down the hill, and the tuatara got a couple of bites in, so the takahē backed off and snuck back away up the forest,” Fisentzidis said.
The rotund blue takahē was declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers’ animal companions: stoats, cats, ferrets and rats. After their rediscovery in 1948, their numbers are now at about 500, growing at about 8% a year.
The tuatara are commonly referred to as a “living fossil” and are the sole survivor of the ancient reptile order Sphenodontia, which walked the Earth with dinosaurs 225m years ago.
They can reproduce past the age of 100 and live up to 200 years, making them one of the longest-living creatures. They are considered “at risk” and survive primarily on a small number of offshore, predator-free islands.
Takahē and tuatara only coexist in two locations: Tiritiri Matangi and Zealandia, an urban eco-sanctuary in Wellington.
Fisentzidis said the footage was a “neat snapshot” of how these species may have interacted in the past.
“It also shows what’s possible … if we really start to rally together to bring more of our native wildlife back.”
This article by Eva Corlett was first published by The Guardian on 15 May 2025. Lead Image: The takahe is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand and belonging to the rail family (CREDIT: Getty Images/iStockphoto).
Wildlife in catastrophic decline
The 73% decline in vertebrate wildlife populations during the last 50 years (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish), is primarily driven by human activities that threaten biodiversity.
Habitat Loss and Degradation – human activities like deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture have led to the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats, reducing the space and resources available for wildlife.
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Overexploitation of Resources – unsustainable hunting, fishing, and logging practices can lead to the depletion of populations and the loss of biodiversity.
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