Check out this unusual chap – found recently by our project ecologists before being relocated to a safe habitat beyond the construction zone.
Peripatus, also known as velvet worms, are unusual animals of the forest floor, sometimes referred to as ‘living fossils’ as they are remarkably unchanged from 500 million years ago. They are also a 'missing link' for their similarity to both worms and insects. For this reason they attract much scientific interest - yet they are cryptic, reclusive and not well understood. These special critters are part of the native fauna and a key species we’re committed to protecting during construction of the new 6km section of State Highway 3 in north Taranaki.
