DSC_0590 Red brachiopod or papa kura iti (Calloria inconspicua) underside of empty shell washed up on reef. Cat's Eye Point, Kakanui *
DSC_2382 Black brachiopod, or papa pouri (Notosaria nigricans) ventral view of empty shell washed up on reef. Remarkably, this species has survived, unchanged, on shallow reefs around New Zealand for approx 18.7 million years (since the Miocene!). Cat's Eye Point, Kakanui *
DSC_2218 Black brachiopod, or papa pouri (Notosaria nigricans) filter feeding. This particular species has survived, unchanged, on reefs around New Zealand for approx 18.7 million years (since the Miocene). Brachiopods can be found in high densities on the near vertical walls of Fiordlands fiords. Doubtful Sound, Fiordland *