Lost wonders : vanished creatures of Aotearoa / Sarah Ell ; illustrated by Phoebe Morris.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1: The lost. What came before: New Zealand's dinosaurs -- The biggest birds: moa -- Terror in the skies: Haast's eagle -- New killers take their toll: whēkau, koreke, piopio -- The dying song: huia -- The light that went out: Lyall's wren -- Insearch of the grey ghost: South Island kōkako -- The tragedy of the Big South Cape: South Island snipe, Stead's bush wren, greater short-tailed bat -- No island refuge: the strange -- and vanished -- species of the Chatham Islands -- Plenty more fish in the sea: grayling -- Part2: Lost and found. The kings of hide and seek: takahē and moho -- The rarest paltns in the world: tecomanthe speciosa, pennantia baylisiana -- All the small things: vanished lizards, frogs, worms and insects -- Parrot of the night: kākāpō -- Part 3: Almost lost. Te whānau puha: the great whales and the Māui dolphin -- The vanshing giant: kauri -- The last word: what can I do?

The story of the lost wonders of New Zealand's natural history: the extinct species which are now gone forever. Lost Wonders also features some key species which are on the brink - critically endangered - and the efforts that are being made to save them for future generations. The stories of these fascinating creatures - birds, insects, reptiles and plants - are told in an entertaining and accessible style, drawing on first-hand accounts and supported with useful illustrations. It draws on accounts of their demise, and of the social climate in New Zealand in which these extinctions occurred. Featured species include those which are long gone - New Zealand's dinosaurs, penguins and pelicans, and the giant gecko; extinctions since the human habitation of New Zealand, including the moa, piopio, huia and laughing owl, and native fish the grayling; species which were lost and found - the takahe, taiko, Tecomanthe speciosa and the weevils of Canterbury; and those at risk of extinction and how it came to this - kakapo, kaki, Maui's dolphin, kauri and whitebait.