Down In The Forest

The perfect companion book to our 'Down In The Forest' finger puppet range!

This gift set comes with 11 unique puppets which are all featured in the Down In The Forest Book. They are Gecko, Tui, Tuatara, Huhu Beetle, Kea, Kauri Snail, Ruru (Morepork) Archey's Frog, Huhu Grub, Weta & Kiwi. "Down in the forest, seeking shelter from the sun, lived a brown mother kiwi and her little one………"

In a week one possum will eat 42kg of vegetation – equivalent to 21 shopping bags full! They have sharp claws which aid them in climbing trees. They were unfortunately brought to NZ from Australia in 1837 for their fur.

They are however skilled at maneuvering at high speed to catch prey. They like to feed upon lizards, mice, bats & insects. Their large yellow eyes don’t move in their sockets! The morepork’s head can swivel up to 270 degrees.

Their tail helps them change direction swiftly. The fantail feeds on insects, flies, moths, spiders & beetles whilst flying. It is talented at hopping upside down in tree ferns & foliage eating unsuspecting prey from the underside of leaves. The fantail survives strongly due to its prolific & early breeding.

The females are the ones to watch out for. They have a distinctive red stripe & are the ones that can bite (the fangs of the male are too small). Despite their reputation bites from the katipo spider are uncommon & unlikely to be fatal.

The tuatara can live up to 100 years. Tuatara in Maori means ‘peaks on back’. The crest of spines along the back is more prominent in males. The male tuatara fans them out to attract females. The tuatara’s teeth are arranged so the single row of teeth in the lower jaw fit nicely between 2 rows of teeth in the upper jaw.

It is an intelligent, curious bird known for its thievery & damage to tourist cars & backpacks. They are opportunistic feeders & have adapted to eating garbage left by humans. The kea lives in the South Island & it has thick plumage to help it survive cold, snowy conditions.

They have notes like a bell bird with clicks & clacks, timber-like groans & wheezing sounds. Tuis are members of the honey eater family & thus their primary diet is nectar. They have a curved bill & long tongue – perfect for extracting nectar.

The kakapo has blotchy yellow/moss-green plumage. You can hear the low-pitched booming of the male kakapo which you can hear for kilometers on a quiet night. The kakapo is critically endangered. Only 86 survive on four predator-free offshore islands.

It has a raucous, unmusical screech. The pukeko is one of the few NZ native birds to have flourished since the arrival of man. It is partially protected though legally hunted during duck shooting season.

They ascend slowly, making steep parabolic dives. Their wings make a distinctive ‘whooshing’ sound whilst flying. To attract wood pigeons to your garden & sustain native trees plant nikau, taraire, koraka & kowhai.

When the adult moth finally emerges it lives only for 2 days – long enough to breed. The Puriri Moth doesn’t eat as its mouth parts don’t work!

If a war party heard the call of the bird from the right, it was a sign of victory. If the call was heard from the left, this was a sign of defeat. One peculiar call of the saddleback means good weather is on the way. A shrill cry warns of a storm. The South Island saddleback is endangered while the North Island saddleback is vulnerable.

Muscles in the tail twitch causing the tail to look as if it’s thrashing wildly. This diversion allows the gecko a chance to escape. Did you know gecko’s can’t blink! They have a transparent scale covering their eye. If their eyes get dirty they lick them with their tongue.

Males have larger jaws than females & will hiss & bite if threatened. They will retreat if given the chance rather than bite you. Male wetas are popular. In one gallery one male lives with up to 10 females!

It flies at full speed, diving its long bill into an earth or clay bank. It uses its bill to excavate a tunnel. Once this tunnel is big enough to perch in the kingfisher pecks & scoops out the loose earth. Despite its name fish is only a small part of the kingfisher’s diet. They enjoy crab, mice, small birds, lizards & insects.

The kauri snail doesn’t necessarily live close to kauri trees, as the ground is too dry for worms which the snails eat. The kauri snail is carnivorous & cannibalistic. They are highly mobile & can move up to 10 meters in 2 weeks.

The takahe is a stocky bird (about the size of a large hen) & has beautiful blue-green feathers with a red front & bill & pink legs. Although flightless, the takahe uses its small wings to show aggression & during courtship. Takahe likes to eat tussock grasses – especially the bottom of each blade which is juicy & sweet. The pukeko is the takahe’s closest relative.

Kiwis are nocturnal – they have whiskers to help them find their way as well as a keen sense of hearing & smell. Why are NZer’s called kiwis? During WWI NZer’s carved a giant kiwi on the chalk hill above Sling Camp in England. Servicemen overseas were known as ‘kiwis’ & that name has stuck ever since.

For two to three years they live in cavities they have eaten into the wood. After their pupae stage, the huhu grub emerges as a flying adult huhu beetle!

The huhu beetle is eaten by moreporks, mice, pigs & hedgehogs. They are active around dusk with their peak activity towards midnight. The huhu beetle only lives for about 2 weeks (the first 2/3 years of their life is spent as larvae).

It hatches strait into a fully formed frog. Also it doesn’t croak regularly like other frogs. Archey’s frog is critically endangered. Introduced predators such as rats & cats & chytrid fungus all threaten Archey’s frog.