24 Jun 2016

Critter of the Week: the Kakahi

From Afternoons, 1:35 pm on 24 June 2016

The Kakahi is New Zealand's freshwater mussel! They are threatened and in decline, but are a vital filtering organism for our freshwater lakes and rivers.

The video below, by Bob Brown of Landcare Research, shows juvenile kakahi that are between 3 and 4 weeks old.  They are now beginning to develop their brown periostracum (protective protein covering) of the adults.

DOC's endangered species ambassador Nicola Toki tells us all about these remarkable native creatures.