Nic Rawlence
@nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
1.2K followers 330 following 260 posts
Associate Professor, palaeoecologist, and science communicator @Otago Palaeogenetics Lab using ancient DNA and palaeontology to reconstruct past ecosystems.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
josbuurmans.bsky.social
Passing Storm - Pillar Point, Cape Farewell, New Zealand.

#photography #landscape #nz
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
jackdashby.bsky.social
As I argue in #PlatypusMatters, Australia has the world's best mammals, but is sadly the worst place on Earth to be a mammal, with the planet's worst #extinction rate.
The Christmas Island shrew is now the latest species to be officially declared extinct.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
The tally of Australian mammals extinct since 1788 is now 39 species – far more than for any other country
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Seven years ago we launched an international campaign to save natural history & archaeology at Te Papa. Aotearoa & the scientific world is watching once again. Will we have to relaunch our campaign? I seriously hope not. blogs.otago.ac.nz/lost-worlds/... 2/3
Critically endangered but not lost: the fight to save Te Papa’s collections from extinction – Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives
blogs.otago.ac.nz
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Here we go again 😡. I'm really concerned about this & that the mistakes of the previous disastrous restructure seven years ago will be repeated. A museum is much more than its buildings. It's people that matter. Is central government going to properly fund Te Papa? www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... 1/3
Te Papa announces plans for restructure in an effort to cut rising costs
It comes after the museum started charging international visitors to the site due to rising costs of energy, insurance and staffing.
www.rnz.co.nz
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
thejuicemedia.com
The Government of New Zealand has made a new tourism ad and it's surprsingly honest and informative!
Honest Government Ad | Visit New Zealand!
YouTube video by thejuicemedia
www.youtube.com
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
thelabandfield.bsky.social
Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Seven years ago we launched an international campaign to save natural history & archaeology at Te Papa. Aotearoa & the scientific world is watching once again. Will we have to relaunch our campaign? I seriously hope not. blogs.otago.ac.nz/lost-worlds/... 2/3
Critically endangered but not lost: the fight to save Te Papa’s collections from extinction – Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives
blogs.otago.ac.nz
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Here we go again 😡. I'm really concerned about this & that the mistakes of the previous disastrous restructure seven years ago will be repeated. A museum is much more than its buildings. It's people that matter. Is central government going to properly fund Te Papa? www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... 1/3
Te Papa announces plans for restructure in an effort to cut rising costs
It comes after the museum started charging international visitors to the site due to rising costs of energy, insurance and staffing.
www.rnz.co.nz
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
adammarkham.bsky.social
Fascinating new isotopic analysis of avian diets in the transition to East Polynesian settlement in pre-contact Aotearoa NZ, including several now extinct birds & some important bone re-identifications. Great stuff!
#archaeobirds #zooarchaeology🏺🌏 globe🌐 🪶
newzealandecology.org/nzje/3616 🧵👇
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
We analysed the chemical signatures of diet from ancient bird bones discovered at Harwood on the Otago Peninsula & compared these to previously published bird diets from the early Māori site of Wairau Bar in Marlborough. Spot the ancient bird bone in the picture below 3/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
With more than a quarter of New Zealand’s native birds now extinct, our study sheds new light on how birds once lived & adapted in a changing environment after human settlement. 6/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Intriguingly, while the extinct matapu New Zealand swan spent more time on land than the kakīānau black swan present today, its diet was similarly tied to freshwater & marine sources. 5/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
While many species ate much the same as they do today, others – including the pārera grey duck, pūtangitangi paradise shelduck, kawau tikitiki spotted shag, & tarāpuka & tarāpunga black & red-billed gulls – showed signs of different regional diets in the past. 4/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
We analysed the chemical signatures of diet from ancient bird bones discovered at Harwood on the Otago Peninsula & compared these to previously published bird diets from the early Māori site of Wairau Bar in Marlborough. Spot the ancient bird bone in the picture below 3/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Our new study uncovers what native birds in Aotearoa New Zealand were eating around the time of human arrival 750 years ago. 2/6
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Check out our new paper led by Rebecca Kinaston & I in @newzealandecology.bsky.social newzealandecology.org/nzje/3616. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of this study Rebecca - with Jill Hamel, Chris Lalas, Amy Adams, @atennyson.bsky.social, Richard Walter & Michael Richards 1/6
Reconstructing ecological niche and feeding ecology of pre-contact New Zealand avifauna from Harwood, Otago Peninsula | NZES
newzealandecology.org
Reposted by Nic Rawlence
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
With more than a quarter of New Zealand’s native birds now extinct, our study sheds new light on how birds once lived & adapted in a changing environment after human settlement. 6/6
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
Intriguingly, while the extinct matapu New Zealand swan spent more time on land than the kakīānau black swan present today, its diet was similarly tied to freshwater & marine sources. 5/6
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
While many species ate much the same as they do today, others – including the pārera grey duck, pūtangitangi paradise shelduck, kawau tikitiki spotted shag, & tarāpuka & tarāpunga black & red-billed gulls – showed signs of different regional diets in the past. 4/6
nicrawlencenz.bsky.social
We analysed the chemical signatures of diet from ancient bird bones discovered at Harwood on the Otago Peninsula & compared these to previously published bird diets from the early Māori site of Wairau Bar in Marlborough. Spot the ancient bird bone in the picture below 3/6