Last week we began an information report about any animal native to New Zealand. This week I finished it and edited it. I put a lot of work into researching and editing my information report. My animal was the Hochstetter’s frog which got their name from Ferdinand von Hochstetter.

Here is my information report

Have you ever heard of Hochstetter’s frog? Do you know how they got their name? Hochstetter’s frog, also known as Pepeketua, are one of the four frogs in the family Leiopelmatidae and have some of the most ancient features in any remaining frogs alive globally. The Hoschstetter frogs are a prehistoric and primitive group of frogs, their features have barely changed in 70 million years. Pepeketua are indigenous to New Zealand.

https://www.tewhakakahatrust.org.nz/hochstetter-frog/

Physical features
Pepeketua males are smaller compared to females, most males grow up to 38mm (1.5 inches) while females grow to around 50mm (2.0 inches). These frogs are nocturnal meaning they come out at night and stay under refuge during the day. Pepeketua likes to hide in moist crevices under rocks and logs beneath shaded areas. They can camouflage into their habitats because of their appearance. Pepeketua can blend into the trees and match the mossy tones of their environment. They have hues of greenish-brown or brownish-red, they also have biscotti (a yellowish-brown color) or hazelnut colored bellies. Sometimes they can have dark bands and warts around their bodies.

Habitats
Hochstetter frogs live semi-aquatic lives, spending their time near stream-edges. They were widespread throughout the South and North islands several years ago but their population declined over the past 200 years. Pepeketua are now sighted around the upper half of the North island, they are also spotted around Waipu, the Great Barrier island, and the Raukumara ranges. Ten populations of these frogs have been found to be genetically distinct, due to the history of glacial isolation.

Threats and predators
Hochstetter frogs are highly vulnerable to invasive species such as rodents. Rats, goats, and pigs have caused a massive decline in the Hochstetter frogs population. The Polynesian rats that were brought to New Zealand by the Maori people caused an extinction of Pepeketua in the South island and a destruction of Populations in the North island over a few years. Pepeketua are also extremely sensitive to the disease in the air because they absorb chemicals through their semi-permeable skin. Agriculture and deforestation can cause issues in water quality.

Diet
Hochstetter frogs feed on invertebrates such as worms, spiders, beetles, mites, snails, and other insects. They are carnivores and nocturnal hunters meaning they hunt in the night. Like most frogs, Hochstetter frogs will generally eat invertebrates that are still alive. Once they have their prey they use their arms to hold the insect and gulp down. When the food passes through the frogs mouth into the stomach, the food moves into the small intestine, where most of the digestion happens. Large digestive glands, the liver and the pancreas, are all attached to the digestive system by ducts. Pepeketua can’t extend their tongues meaning they lack the ability to catch prey by sticking out their tongue.

Linnaean classification of the Pepeketua

Kingdom: Animal

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Anura

Family: Leiopelmatidae

Genus: Leiopelma

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hochstetter%27s_frog

https://savethefrogs.com/wp-content/uploads/pepeketua-nz-native-frogs-lowres.pdf

https://www.google.com/search?q=hochstetter%27s+frog&rlz=1CAOFBT_enNZ1097&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgAEEUYOxjCAzIJCAAQRRg7GMIDMgkIARBFGDsYwgMyCQgCEEUYOxjCAzIJCAMQRRg7GMIDMgkIBBBFGDsYwgMyCQgFEEUYOxjCAzIJCAYQRRg7GMIDMgkIBxBFGDsYwgPSAQk1Mjg1OGowajeoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

This week my hub got to make a poem about Laudato Si. It could be any type of poem so I chose to do an acrostic poem. the word I decided to use was creation. I put in a lot of effort to make the poem as best as it could be and I struggled with some of the letters. I believe it can be better but I don’t know how.

Here’s my poem

Today me and some of my hub went to the Groynes so that we could learn about the wildlife that lives there. Once we got there the ranger gave us a tour around the nature trail. we learned about the different trees around the Groynes, the ranger taught us about native and non-native trees. my favorites were the lemon wood tree because of the scent of its leaves and the kowhai tree because of their easy to rip off leaves.  When we got to the bridge we got a brief description of the ducks that were around. Once we got to the other side we got to search for insects in the water. We had to get in a group of 4 and get a station where there were 2 mini plastic spoons, 2 sieves on a stick and 2 magnifying glasses. at our station we had 2 containers, 1 had compartments and both were filled with water. The instructor showed us how to collect water insects using the sieves. They told us that most water insects stay under plants because the insects didn’t want to be bird food so we had to sway the sieves slowly under the water plants that were near the shore. My group got 4 water boatmen, 3 water fleas, and 3 cyclopes. Once we cleaned that up we got to play a game where there was 1 paradise shelduck, 3 damselflies, 8 water boatmen, and 11 water plants. It was a game of survival where 1 had to eat the other. I was a water plant. To survive I needed water, the sun, and some soil.

I had lots of fun on my trip to the Groynes and enjoyed learning new information about freshwater habitats. My favorite part of the entire trip was probably getting to learn more about damselflies and learning more about the lemon wood tree.

This week my class learned about Catholicism in Mexico. When we finished that we got to pick a country and find information about Catholicism there. I picked Italy because that’s where most Saints and important Christians originate from.

Here is my work!

This week we’ve been learning about estuaries and what they do for animals, plants and the environment. I’ve learned quite a lot throughout the week like how estuaries are like filtration systems or how algae actually destroys estuaries because they use up too much oxygen to live. I think estuaries are extremely special.

Do you know what an estuaries is?

Here is some of my work!

Intertidal: The area where the ocean meets the land between high and low tides.

Sediment: Small pieces of minerals that break off over time. They travel by wind or water.

Contaminant: a substance that pollutes, spoils, or poisons something.

Basin: a depression, or dip, in the Earth’s surface.

Biodiversity: All the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area.

Nutrients: A substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life.

Mud-flats: A level tract lying at little depth below the surface of water or alternately covered and left bare by the tide.

Harbours: A part of the ocean, a lake, etc., that is next to land and that is protected and deep enough to provide safety for ships.

Glaciers: An extremely large mass of ice which moves very slowly, often down a mountain valley.

Mangroves: A tropical tree, found near water, whose twisted roots grow partly above ground.

Pristine: In perfect condition.

Ecosystem: a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life.

Estuaries: the part of a river or other area of water where it joins the sea, and where freshwater and saltwater are mixed.

Last week we shared a proposal on what we thought would be good for our school and what would benefit the students. This week we got to reflect on what we thought was bad and good about the way we presented our proposals. My group’s proposal was an art club to enhance and boost the creativity of our year 1-5. Personally I thought that my team tried their best and even if we didn’t get to show the principal. I think it was a good way to get my confidence in public speech. The only thing I would say went bad was that I was too fast with what I was saying but at least I didn’t stutter.

What would you do to make a boring club fun and enjoyable for others?