Zoology Department, University of Otago

📸 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...

Differences in Establishment of Host and Parasite After One Decade Among Four Simultaneous Translocations of a Long-Lived Reptile
doi.org/10.1111/aec....

🦎 1st Place Student Non-Bird Photo – 2025 Zoology Photo/Video Comp!
📸 “Peek-a-boo I see you” by Becca Barnett – a juvenile green gecko at Mt Bruce Ecosanctuary, mid-glass climb.
Becca is a 3rd-year Zoology major obsessed with all things herpetology!

For a city usually dressed in black, there sure is a lot of colour - as noted by international travel publication, Wanderlust Travel Magazine, naming Dunedin NZ as one of their top up-and-coming LGBTQ+ travel destinations.
tinyurl.com/48sw6jmn

🐦 1st Place Student Bird Photo – 2025 Zoology Photo/Video Comp!
📸 “Toroa” by Ava Thomas. A stunning shot of the Buller’s mollymawk, a near-threatened seabird seen off Otago.
Ava is a 2nd year Zoology & Ecology major who loves Aotearoa’s birds. (www.instagram.com/ava_thomas_p...)

Join me at Ombrellos Kitchen and Bar on Tues 29th July at 5.30pm for this month's Thirst for Knowledge, where I'll be MythBusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction - with @universityofotago.bsky.social @zoologyotago.bsky.social

🐝 International Science Festival Expo 🐝
Huge thanks to Greer, Charlie, Connal, Bart & Jenny for inspiring 2,000+ budding scientists at our Zoology booth! From fossils and parasites to live ants and cephalopod vision, it was a hit. Shout out to Janelle, Shelly & Nicky for organising everything!

Intraspecific body size determines isotopic trophic structure of a large river fish community
doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Unravelling hidden battles: Genetic insights into parasite diversity and competition in mottled triplefin (Forsterygion capito)
doi.org/10.1007/s004...

Islands Promote Diversification of the Silvereye Species Complex: A Phylogenomic Analysis of a Great Speciator
doi.org/10.1111/mec....

You can't go home again: Changes in trophic niche following extinction and recolonization of the New Zealand sea lion
doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...

Variability among taxonomists in helminth species discrimination decisions: a noise audit
doi.org/10.1016/j.ij...

Global analysis of Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in wild avian hosts: effects of phylogeny, ecology, and detection methods
doi.org/10.1016/j.ij...

Endoparasite communities of New Zealand Penguins differ over time and among species - Marine Biology Parasites can provide valuable insights into the ecology and health of their hosts and the state of the surrounding ecosystem. In this study, we describe the helminth parasite communities infecting pe...

Endoparasite communities of New Zealand Penguins differ over time and among species
doi.org/10.1007/s002...

Drs @chenhuali.bsky.social Yuanzhe Wang, Kyle Lesack, Xiao Xiao, Stephen Pollo, Thorey Jonsdottir, Eleonore Charrier & Robert Poulin summarize @globalparasitology.bsky.social’s new parasitology #outreach initiative to change the public perception of #parasites.

authors.elsevier.com/a/1lCGT5Eb1x...

Congratulations to Scott Bourke for winning the Best Student Paper Award in the journal Notornis at the Birds NZ Conference held in Auckland over the weekend. Ka rawe Scott!

Bees Learn about the bees of Otago – from native pollinators to introduced species. Discover their roles in biodiversity, food production, and ecosystem health.

A link to our #JandtLab website and to our "Is it a Bee?" pamphlet are now prominently featured on an Otago Regional Council site dedicated to Bees in Otago!!!

@zoologyotago.bsky.social

www.orc.govt.nz/environment/...

A big congrats!!🥳 to Blake Lewis for a stellar performance at his PhD defence on Thursday. Great reward for years of hard work. Time to celebrate, Blake 😊