A pygmy pipehorse was found in New Zealand which has been given a Māori name. The name was given by the Ngtiwai tribe in collaboration with biodiversity experts
A tiny candy-stick colored pygmy pipehorse, discovered in a small area off New Zealand’s north coast, has been given a Maori name by the local <i>iwi</i> (tribe) in what is believed to be the first time an indigenous group has formally named a new species of animal.
The 6cm-long fish is closely related to the seahorse, and inhabits the rocky reefs off the northeast coast of New Zealand. It is the first pygmy pipehorse discovered in the country.
The Ngtiwai tribe worked with Thomas Trnski, head of natural sciences at Tmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, and Graham Short, an ichthyology research