Zoology Department, University of Otago

🐣 3rd Place - Video | Zoology Photo/Video Competition 2025: “Tūturiwhatu” (NZ dotterel, Charadrius obscurus) by Ava Thomas (2nd-year Zoology & Ecology). Endangered (~2,500 left). Filmed in Coromandel: a chick tucks into its parent’s feathers to dodge the wind. 🐦🌿 www.facebook.com/share/v/16BJ...

🧠💚 Mental Health Awareness Week (6–12 Oct)! We’re celebrating the Five Ways to Wellbeing with chill, drop-in events. Grab a Self-Care Bingo sheet at the front desk & complete one for a prize. Uni-wide events too for staff/students (tinyurl.com/3xze36fd). Poster 👇

🎬 2nd Place — Video | Zoology Photo/Video Comp 2025: “Microplastic Sampling in the Central Lakes Area.” By Alice Gilbert (MSc, Freshwater). On Lake Dunstan with WAI Wānaka, Alice samples for microplastics. No animals on camera (invertebrates likely lurking!).
www.facebook.com/share/v/1Chp...

🐝 3rd Place — Staff Photo | Zoology Photo/Video Comp 2025: “Bumble Bee Inspired Progress Flag” by Senior Lecturer Jenny Jandt @thewasplady.bsky.social. Bees across Ōtago—field, backyard & glasshouse—celebrate colour and pride in our Rainbow Community. 🌈

🏆 2nd place Staff Photo – Zoology Comp 2025! 🦂
Seriously cool scorpion by Jo Monks, snapped under UV during night-time escapades in Borneo at the World Congress of Herpetology.
Jo is a Senior Lecturer who loves lizards & champions science for their conservation.

Another case of island gigantism: the extinct Hodgens’ Waterhen (Tribonyx hodgenorum) is a member of Porzana (Aves: Rallidae) - Journal of Ornithology Tribonyx hodgenorum (Scarlett, Rec Canterb Mus 6:265–266, 1955) was a flightless rail (Rallidae) endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand that became extinct in the eighteenth century. The affinities of this r...

Another case of island gigantism: the extinct Hodgens’ Waterhen (Tribonyx hodgenorum) is a member of Porzana (Aves: Rallidae)
doi.org/10.1007/s103...

Brain‐Encysting Trematodes Increase the Frequency but Reduce the Repeatability of Surfacing Behaviour in Mottled Triplefin In Otago Harbour, New Zealand, the trophically transmitted trematode Cardiocephaloides ovicorpus infects the brain of a population of mottled triplefin (Forsterygion capito) with high prevalence and ....

Brain-Encysting Trematodes Increase the Frequency
but Reduce the Repeatability of Surfacing Behaviour in
Mottled Triplefin
doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Population structure of three New Zealand crested penguins identifies current conservation challenges for the Fiordland penguin/tawaki, erect-crested penguin, and eastern rockhopper penguin Identifying contemporary population structure and genetic connectivity among seabird populations is essential for developing conservation plans for threatened species, especially as factors like philo...

Population structure of three New Zealand crested penguins identifies current conservation challenges for the Fiordland penguin/tawaki, erect-crested penguin, and eastern rockhopper penguin
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Incidental distribution and activity of the flightless Campbell Island teal (Anas nesiotis) on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, New Zealand
www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/u...

🌈✨ Throwback to Rainbow Happy Hour (15 Aug 2025)! ✨🌈
Colourful snacks, Bingo, prizes & the brightest outfits filled the Zoology Tea Room with joy 🎉 Huge thanks to everyone who joined & to our prize donors 💜

🌈☕✨ Throwback to Scones with the Zoology Rainbow Committee! ✨☕🌈

On 12th August we shared good vibes, fresh scones, and colourful company. Thanks to everyone who joined us — your smiles made the morning even sweeter! 💜🌸

Congratulations to Katie Buschang, PhD student from Zoology, who finished runner-up at the University 3 minute-thesis competition grand finale.
www.facebook.com/share/p/14Gh...

Congratulations to Elliot Weir who submitted their MSc thesis recently!!!!

🎥✨ Taking the top spot in the Video Category! ✨🎥
Zoology Photo/Video Comp 2025
🎬 My Beetle Breakdown by Joshua Castro
“Testing beetle pheromone behaviour (though honestly, I think the only thing being tested was my patience).” 😅
Joshua is a third-year Zoology student
www.facebook.com/share/v/1ZxC...

🌟 1st Place – Staff Category! 🌟
Zoology Photo/Video Comp 2025

📸 Crawlin’ in the Deep by Allison Miller
A curious Milford Sound wheke strolling the marine block 🐙💙

Allison is a postdoc researching evolutionary ecology, phylogenetics & zoonoses.

🌟 3rd place in the Student Non-Bird Photo category of the Zoology Photo/Video Comp 2025!

📸 Sea Lion Pups — playful pups in the chaos of Enderby Island’s sea lion beach.
👤 Photographer: Oskar Ehrhardt, wildlife management student aiming for a seabird master’s!

🏆 3rd place Student Bird Photo – Zoology Comp 2025! 🐧 Faces of the Subantarctic by Bianca Keys shows rare moments of erect-crested & eastern rockhopper penguins.
Bianca, a penguin-obsessed PhD student, studies their ecology & trends in remote subantarctic colonies.

📸 2nd Place – Student Non-Bird Photo, Zoology Photo/Video Competition 2025
Morena by Pearl Barry 🦎
A young Otago green skink basks with its siblings at Orokonui Ecosanctuary 🌿
Pearl Barry is an ecology grad researching keystone behaviour and species translocations.

🌈✨ Zoology Rainbow Extravaganza – Aug 12 ✨🌈
🫖 Morning Tea (~11am) – Scones by the Zoology Rainbow Committee!
🎲 Zoology Board Game Night – Rainbow Week Takeover! (~4pm) – Gnome Hollow, Hues & Cues + snacks! 🍿
📍Zoology Dept, Uni of Otago (tea room)
All welcome! 🏳️‍🌈 @zoologyotago.bsky.social

🐧 2nd Place – Student Bird Photo Category
📸 Hoiho and Megaherbs on Enderby
A stunning shot of a Hoiho soaking in the view from Enderby’s cliffs!
Congrats to Oskar Ehrhardt, wildlife management student and future seabird scientist 🐦🌿

Thrilled to join the first-ever RARITY Internship! Looking forward to exploring how research turns into action — from policy to patient impact. Let’s go beyond the bench! @zoologyotago.bsky.social

#raredisease #STEM #EarlyCareerResearchers #WomenInSTEM

Ancient DNA and morphometrics reveal a new species of extinct insular shelduck from Rēkohu Chatham Islands Abstract. The Rēkohu Chatham Islands, 785 km east of mainland Aotearoa New Zealand, exhibit high levels of species endemism. Prior to human settlement, the

Ancient DNA and morphometrics reveal a new species of extinct insular shelduck from Rēkohu Chatham Islands
doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Congratulations to Alex Brown who submitted his MSc thesis yesterday!

Just used and cited this scientific publication in the #Wikipedia article for Leiproctus fulvenscens. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiopro...

YouTube video by Jenny Jandt German wasp catches sweat bee

German wasp vs male sweat bee.

When males hunt for mates, the ground nesting bee community becomes more obvious to predators. The males won't contribute to the nest, and the females don't waste time hovering. This community will be fine.
@zoologyotago.bsky.social

youtu.be/ymdlevx43nY?...

Congrats to my Masters student @palaeocharlie.bsky.social on winning the Division of Science heats for the Three Minute Masters Thesis Competition. Well done Charlie @universityofotago.bsky.social @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Effects of competition and predation risk from a life history intraguild predator on individual specialisation Individual niche specialisation is widespread within animal populations and can have important ecological consequences. Predation and competition are known drivers of individual specialisation, but t...

Effects of competition and predation risk from a life history intraguild predator on individual specialisation
doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Pollen specialisation of native bees in Dunedin
doi.org/10.1080/0077...

A Jack of All Trades—Tawaki/Fiordland penguins are able to utilise diverse marine habitats during winter migration
doi.org/10.7717/peer...

Inter-colony and inter-annual behavioural plasticity in the foraging strategies of a fjord-dwelling penguin—good news in the face of environmental change?
doi.org/10.7717/peer...