Dun Mountain animals
The most spectacular creature found in among the rocks and roots of the Dun Mountain is a sub-species of New Zealand’s Giant Land Snail (Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina). These carnivorous snails eat invertebrates and earthworms and need the calcium from discarded shells to survive.
Other mineral belt specialists include the forest ringlet butterfly (Dodonia helmsii); a localised Ground Beetle (Mecodema dunense) and the alpine cicada (Maoricicada mangu gourlayi) named after E.S. Gourlay, a Nelson scientist.
See the Dun Mountain Ecology brochure (14MB PDF) for more details of these unique creatures.
Birds found in the forests of the Maitai and Roding include species now rare in the Nelson Region:
Lizards known to occur in the area, but rarely seen, are Nelson green, common and forest geckos and common skinks.