Answers   21

Activity Two: Adaptations of the kiwi, an endemic New Zealand bird

1. Adaptation Advantage to the kiwi
Long beak with nostrils at the end Smells its prey in the leaf litter
Cat-like whiskers Feels obstacles in the dark
Brown colour Camouflage on moonlit nights
Hair-like feathers Heat insulation (fluffy down is better insulation than feathers)
Tiny wings No need in the absence of predators – saves energy
Nocturnal activity Fewer competitors / fewer predators about at night
Short, strong legs with claws Running, digging and defence
Nurtures one chick at a time / chick well developed when it
Single, large egg
hatches
Nests in burrows Shelter
Parental incubation of egg Keeps the egg warm and safe

2 a. They can’t fly, and they nest on the ground.

b. Possums, rats, cats, stoats, weasels and ferrets.
c. Habitat destruction (eg forest clearance, the draining of swamps), pollution (eg of streams). The
introduction of exotic organisms such as ‘rock snot’, deer, wasps.

The air we breathe (page 93)

Inhaled air Exhaled air
100

90

80

70

Percentage of 60
gases in the
air 50

40
➡
30

20

10

0
N2 O2 CO2 N2 O2 CO2