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Eleven-Armed Sea Star, with one arm broken and two missing, on sand.

Eleven-Armed Sea Star

We don’t often see starfish on our beach which doesn’t have the rockpools they may more usually be found in. This morning though (10-Apr-22) I saw one (or maybe two — the photos came from different stages of my walk and birds may have eaten a couple more arms). They are the native Eleven-Armed Sea Star, Coscinasterias Calamaria.

Partial screenshot of dolphin identification PDF.

Dolphins just off Waikawa Beach

A friend was excited to have spotted dolphins just off the Waikawa Beach coast the other day. The dolphins were heading towards the Kāpiti Marine Reserve. Keep your eyes open. And if you’ve seen any dolphins (or other marine species) and especially if you have photos, please let me know at admin@wow-waikawa.nz . See Dolphins: New Zealand marine mammals (DoC)…

Dead eel in shallow water.

Dead eels at Waiorongomai Stream mouth

Saddened today to discover half a dozen dead eels at the mouth of the Waiorongomai Stream. Each eel was about a metre long. I’ve been researching eels but am unsure if they’re Longfin or Shortfin. Some information about eels: How to tell apart the three species of freshwater eels in New Zealand - each species is unique in its own…

Rare Lamprey in Waikawa stream

Sometimes you notice one little snippet about Waikawa Beach in a larger article on the web: one of New Zealand’s rare native fish Lamprey (Geotria australis) has been discovered in waterways like the Waikawa Stream and reaches of the Ōhura River in the Horizons Region. This comes from a Horizons Regional Council article: DNA techniques reveal the full spectrum of…

Transparent pink circular jelly on the beach.

Pink jellyfish

I’m not entirely sure, but I believe this roughly 15 cm pink or red jelly on the beach may have been a Lion’s Mane. I’d be keen to get confirmation or correction. Update 02-Mar-22: The Wildlife of New Zealand Facebook group confirmed it as a Lion’s Mane.