A Special Report from the Field (Guest Bloggers)

A two week trip to New Zealand is for most a dream that usually stays a dream. However, circumstances were in the favor this year of your two faithful scientists, Alex de Kerchove and Marie Schreiber. First, we passed our respective graduate school defenses [we thought it would never happen], which gave us something to celebrate. Second, we had had heard that two wild Hobosum uncommonus were seen running around these two islands on the other side of the world. This very rare subspecies of Homo sapiens, originally from North America, is known for mastering the “hanging-around” behaviors that we always wanted to study in greater depth. We thought that with a little bit of skill, and a lot more luck, we would catch sight of them and observe them for two weeks in their natural habitat. This study would allow us to then write a final report, which could help further protect the whole species! They had almost escaped our observations by taking a “Job,” which, as a rather repressive form of captivity, would have most likely killed them. Luckily, Marie has strong powers of persuasion and brought them back to their senses by convincing them that working could be fatal and most certainly unnecessary. Thankfully we have been able to save these two Hobosum uncommonus from an unkind fate, which allowed us to plan our two-week expedition by their side.

Alex looks deeply troubled by the scientific research he and his partner, Marie, are about to embark on

Surprisingly, we found the two individuals quite easily in the wilds of New Zealand. There was a Male and a Female Hobosum uncommonus that we named A, as Andrew, and B, as Becky, respectively to facilitate their differentiation. A and B were docile and hanging around in the airport as we arrived in Christchurch. We felt extremely lucky not to have to track them for days through the mountains and rainforests before finding them. A was friendly, but skinnier than what I was expecting; B was very communicative and slightly louder than A. Our plan was to stay as quiet as possible to avoid disturbing their natural behaviors and follow them wherever they went in the hope that they would lead us to their favorite habitats, and maybe let us encounter other individuals from the same or similar subspecies. The main goal of this research is to gain a basic understanding of the typical behaviors of the Hobosum uncommonus, such as communication, feeding, and reproduction. The following short report includes our direct observations and our thoughts on how to protect the species properly in the future, with extensive support from more that 800 photographs (which can be seen on request).

Becky stalks her prey through the New Zealand wilderness

General Behaviors

We quickly realized that bathing was not a priority for these two individuals. We tried to adopt the same cleaning schedule so that we would be able to maintain a similar corporal state. This behavior would suggest a strong aversion to water; however, B showed us early in our trip that she highly liked hot springs, even in freezing weather. We tried to stay in these warm waters as long as she did, but unfortunately failed and left after wrinkling like a prune. We wouldn’t be surprised if in few years we find B back in captivity working in her own spa.

Alex and Marie keep their distance after a few days without bathing...

Additionally, changing clothes twice a week was considered good. Understanding this behavior to be environmental friendly (by saving water), we adopted the same behavior so as not to frighten A and B … and we loved it! It also made our life easier and we almost regretted bringing a whole bag full of clothes [Note for future explorers: bring only one of every thing].

Enjoying a rain shower, while we also wash our clothes!

The Hobosum uncommonus were able to hike very steep climbs typical of the mountain ranges in New Zealand. There are no gradual grades. We were surprised by their very quick hiking speed and apparent high endurance; we were unable to keep up! But we will understand this as a result of us being graduate students, which obviously made us soft.

On top of the mountain at Nugget Point

Social Behaviors

At night, the Hobosum uncommonus would find places where other Hobosum would regroup and interact. A and B were commonly very interactive and liked collecting stories from others in order to strategically plan their route according to the weather and other Hobosum preferences. We highly enjoyed sharing their meal at night and further social interactions with others from the species. However, we are afraid that we affected their natural behaviors by having forced them to eat later than usual and having introduced them to the Aperitifs (snack and drink before dinner) and intensive chocolate consumption.

We had the chance to spend most of our nights in New Zealand sharing the same room as A and B and had the opportunity to observe the absence of any peculiar nocturnal behaviors. However, strong differences were observed between A and B in their required sleep length: B would always be up first in the morning to start the morning meal, while A would only come out of his duvet when food was ready and coffee on the table!

We also got the opportunity to meet wonderful Kiwi friends of the Hobosum uncommonuss: Belinda and Karen. A and B had developed a strong relationship with these Kiwis while wwoofing at their particular, an activity specific to the species. We highly enjoyed spending the Fourth of July at their place and shared one of their turkeys for dinner, sampling endless varieties of beer and wines: a social behavior that I (Alex) particularly appreciated. After experiencing the hospitality of these Kiwis, we finally understood the real draw of New Zealand.

Another form of kiwi spotting in New Zealand

Feeding Behaviors

For morning meal, the Hobosum uncommonus was satisfied with muesli and banana slices, which was sometimes completed with a slice of toast with jam. Indispensable was the instant coffee that allowed our bodies to wake up and warm up after the freezing nights – indeed, Kiwis are very “environmental friendly,” and, with their limited resources in energy, they reduce their house heating to the strict minimum, as it is of common sense that heating a room is a luxury.

For midday meal, the Hobosum uncommonus has a strong preference for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pretzels, and apples: a menu that seems rather appealing until it was repeated over several days in a row. An urgent need for a ham and cheese sandwich would then develop and satisfy us for few days before returning to PB&J.

For evening meal, we were surprised by the excellent diet adopted by the Hobosum uncommonus. The meal that any mother would be proud of would consist of fruits, veggies, meats, and a starch. We had the pleasure of experiencing their cooking skills and sharing our cooking skills with them, since we would alternate cooking duties every other day. We also appreciated the great interest of the Hobosum uncommonus to accompany dinner with a bottle of local wine or beer, which allowed us to become familiar with the New Zealand I very much enjoyed sharing A’s passion for tasting local lagers, ales, and stouts from the small breweries encountered on along our way. beverages. We also toke advantage of the developed knowledge of the species on microbrewed beer.

Rest assured, Alex didn't only take photos of the Hobosum uncommonus!

Reproductive Behavior

Not observed! Reproductive behaviors remain unknown. Photographic evidence suggests, however, that physical contact between A and B exists and is important in their relationship.

Conclusion

During our two weeks in New Zealand, we were very lucky to be able to see for ourselves all of the fun and excitement that A and B are having while they discover New Zealand as a country. We were able to finally understand their desire to constantly be on the look out for Kiwis: the people, fruit, and, most importantly of all, the bird. We were also finally able to understand how it felt to live in such an undeveloped and untouched habitat. We found that each discovery lead to more beautiful beaches and mountains that one could only imagine. But most importantly, we were able to travel around with A and B for two weeks altogether, which was definitely an adventure worth having.

A Report by Alex de Kerchove & Marie Schreiber