Nicola Toki

This week's critter is a species of slime mould that looks like ghostly forest coral. The coral slime mould (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa) is one of our most distinctive and abundant slime moulds. Audio

The Environment Court has rejected plans for a new West Coast coal mine, at Te Kuha.

The proposed 150-hectare mine near Westport is home to numerous plants and animals at risk or threatened with… Audio

This week's critter was dubbed 'the dentures of the sea' by the NIWA scientists who discovered it lurking on the ocean floor off the Bay of Islands back in 2009. It might look like your grandma's… Audio

This week's critter is the southern ant (Chelaner antarcticus), the most common and widespread native ant species in Aotearoa. These ants have been known to farm other bugs which they milk for… Audio

More than 75 percent of indigenous reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened, according to figures released today by… Audio

This week's critter is the insect world's answer to punk - the black spined weevil, Scolopterus penicillatus, has a natural shiny leather jacket and four impressive spikes on its back. Audio

This week's critter is a species of stinkhorn fungi that looks (and smells) like the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. The Devil's fingers fungus (Clathrus archeri) sprouts red tentacles out of the… Audio

This week's critter is a crabby geezer who loves a geyser. The NZ vent crab or grumpy Gandalf crab, Gandalfus puia, is an eyeless crustacean that thrives in the toxic, high temperature environment of… Audio

This week's critter is te mokomoko a Tohu - an elusive gecko only named by science in January this year. Te mokomoko a Tohu is a large gecko native to Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a-Maui, the Marlborough… Audio

This week's critter is the sleek and powerful ngaro wiwi or large black hunting wasp (Priocnemis monachus) that specialises in hunting some of our largest spiders. Audio

This week's critter is the ngaro tara or three-lined hoverfly, a noisy native species with an important role as a pollinator.  Audio

The last critter of 2022 is a shy and retiring orchid that's threatened by habitat loss and climate change. The copper beard orchid (Calochilus herbaceous) is a stout orchid with a generous ruby beard… Audio

This week's critter is the glow-worm hunter harvestman, Forsteropsalis photophaga. These gangly, crab-clawed arachnids live in the Waitomo Caves and subsist exclusively on a diet of glow-worms. Male… Audio

This week's critter is the pepe pouri / black mountain ringlet butterfly to help celebrate International Mountain Day, which is next Wednesday.  Audio

This week's critter is the Antarctic sea pig - a rotund pink sea cucumber that lives on the muddy seafloor of the Ross Sea. Sea pigs are like living vacuum cleaners for the ocean. They spend their… Audio

If you've ever looked at a pond and seen little bugs swimming across the surface, chances are you've seen this week's critter - the water boatman, Sigara arguta. Audio