2007-02-13 12:42:39 · 7 answers · asked by mrsmckeuk 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
The purpose of this site to allow people to find the answers to questions about any and all subjects. One of it's resources is that it retains those answers so that you can search it's database for the answer you are seeking. This means that you search the existing database to find an answer to your question, rather than post a question that has been asked countless times before. So, before posing your question, you should search that database to see if your question has been asked and answered already. This will give you an instant answer rather than having to wait several days and put up with a whole host of incorrect or irrelevant responses. If you do this, you will find that the question regarding there being no snakes in New Zealand has been answered several times by myself and a number of others.
The short answer is that millions of years ago there were snakes in what is now New Zealand. A combination of the ice-age and New Zealand's disconnection from the 'mainland', has resulted in the extinction and non-return of all land snakes. Notice, I say land snakes, because, in fact, New Zealand does get the occasional but rare visit from sea snakes.
If you want the full and complete answer, I suggest you search the Yahoo! Answers 'advanced' database, where you will find several 'best answers' that deal with this question.
There's one link to Yahoo!Answers below to start you off.
2007-02-17 08:36:25 · answer #1 · answered by johno 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK new zealand the temp in new zealand gets cold but not cold enough to rule out snakes snakes can handle a temp of 10-16 degrees Celsius(50-77f) snakes live in Canada and it gets really cold there so that wouldn't be a really good reason and being a island has nothing to do with not having snakes if you look at most of the islands that fall close too some land most of the time you'll find snakes for example: the Philippines,Malaysia,Indonesia,and Cuba, they contain snakes I'm thinkin that the main reason for the absence of snake lies in the fact that there isn't enough small prey for them to survive and the animals that do live there are too large for a small species of snake to eat and a larger snake would burn too much energy trying to catch or eat the prey available. which means new zealand isn't ideal snake habitat. Oh one more place tazmania it has three species of snake and its not that far away from new zealand or australia.
2007-02-15 14:30:09 · answer #2 · answered by Frank s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snakes are not native to New Zealand there are skinks, geckos but to have snakes in New Zealand they would have to be illigally bought over and released out into the wild and there wouldn't even be any guarntee of their survival because of the environment it doesn't get anywhere near as hot as it does over here, i'm not even sure how the lizards over there magnage to keep warm!. My father used to work as a zoo keeper at the Wellington Zoo and he knows someone who tried to get them brought in I think they were wanted for the zoo but they wern't able to do it.
2007-02-16 09:59:24 · answer #3 · answered by Evelyn O 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one reason. Its an island. If you believe that the world was one solid continent 100s of million years ago the area of new zealand might of not had any snakes and if it ever did the population could of been destroyed by other animals eating them.
2007-02-13 20:49:24 · answer #4 · answered by MArtyMAr12345 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Marty said it. There may have been snakes at one time but if they were there they died of because of climate, predators,etc. Some day a gravid snake may float over on something from Australia or somewhere and start a population if its lucky.
2007-02-14 15:49:41 · answer #5 · answered by rock 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
new zeland is an island and it is impossble for snakes to get there
2007-02-13 20:47:36 · answer #6 · answered by pinkpup101 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because it as island partly
the other half is climate
2007-02-13 21:51:42 · answer #7 · answered by drezdogge 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋