Animals of New Zealand
The animals of New Zealand have an unusual history. The main thing to know is that the islands were part of Gondwana, from which they separated 84 million years (mya) ago. New Zealand has some animals and plants which survive from that time, and birds which flew there much later. The islands are well known for their terrestrial birds, some of which were large species (the moas). For millions of years the islands did not have any native mammalian carnivores, and the moas' only predators were other birds, such as the giant Haast's eagle.