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Kōrero: Marine animals without backbones

Mud dragon

Image
Mud dragon

This mud dragon, magnified more than 100 times, is one of three species discovered in Otago Harbour in 2004. Their scientific name, kinorhynch, means moveable snout. No more than 1 millimetre long, these tiny animals burrow through mud, using their spine-covered snouts to trap prey.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Private collection

by Brian Paavo

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Dennis Gordon rāua ko Maggy Wassilieff, Marine animals without backbones – Tiny sea animals, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/5866/mud-dragon (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Dennis Gordon rāua ko Maggy Wassilieff, i tāngia i te 2 March 2009.