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Story: Evolution of plants and animals

Break-up of Gondwana

The most important factor affecting the evolution of life in New Zealand was its break with the Gondwana supercontinent 85 million years ago. After being isolated, New Zealand was too far away for many plants and animals to reach. The ocean acted as a selective filter. Many life forms that arose on other lands over the past 85 million years could not spread to New Zealand.

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How to cite this page

Matt McGlone, Evolution of plants and animals – Evolution, geology and climate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/12410/break-up-of-gondwana (accessed 17 June 2026).

Story by Matt McGlone, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

Alan Clay
22 November 2015
1/Where is New Guinea and the Wallace line with regard to this tectonic shift. 2/ do you have a date when the Australia continent no longer had land bridges to the North? Thankyou Alan Clay
jerry kooyman
06 May 2013
I have been coming to NZ off and on for the past 50 yr. My last trip was in February. I wish I had seen this website sooner. Great animation of the break away of NZ, and the movie of the bat.