Dent Island is a subantarctic

Subantarctic

The Subantarctic is a region in the southern hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° – 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and...

 26 hectares (64.2 acre) rock stack

Stack (geology)

A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...

, lying 3 km west of Campbell Island

Campbell Island, New Zealand

Campbell Island is a remote, subantarctic island of New Zealand and the main island of the Campbell Island group. It covers of the group's , and is surrounded by numerous stacks, rocks and islets like Dent Island, Folly Island , Isle de Jeanette Marie, and Jacquemart Island, the latter being the...

 and belonging to the Campbell Island group

Campbell Island group

The Campbell Island group is a group of subantarctic islands, belonging to New Zealand. The group has a total area of , consisting of one big island, Campbell Island , and several small islets, notably Dent Island , Isle de Jeanette Marie , Jacquemart Island , and Monowai Island 1...

. Dent Island is located at 52°31.15′S 169°3.75′E.

The island is most famous for its Campbell Teal, which were though to have been extinct for more than 100 years until a small group was rediscovered there in 1975. Dent Island is free from predators, especially the rats whose introduction on Campbell Island

Campbell Island

Campbell Island may refer to:* Campbell Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia* Campbell Island , Canada* Campbell Island, New Zealand* Campbell Island, North Carolina, USA...

 led to the extinction of the teal there. However, the suitable habitat for the teal on Dent Island is much more limited than its 26 hectares (64.2 acre) area would suggest, because a large area of the island is bare rock.

The Campbell Teal conservation programme started in 1984 when 4 birds were transferred from Dent Island to the Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre. In 1997, a census carried out on Dent Island showed that its Campbell Teal population had declined to dangerous levels with only three birds being found.

However the conservation and breeding has been very successful, and in recent years many teal have been reintroduced onto Campbell Island itself, where there is now a population of over a hundred. There have also been concerted efforts to remove the rats that are the teals' main predators.

See also

• Campbell Island group
  Campbell Island group
  The Campbell Island group is a group of subantarctic islands, belonging to New Zealand. The group has a total area of , consisting of one big island, Campbell Island , and several small islets, notably Dent Island , Isle de Jeanette Marie , Jacquemart Island , and Monowai Island 1...
  
  
• Campbell Teal
• List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
• Megaherb
  Megaherb
  Megaherbs are a group of herbaceous perennial wildflowers growing in the New Zealand sub-antarctic islands. They are characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very large and often unusually-coloured flowers, which have evolved as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the...
  
  
• New Zealand subantarctic islands

External links

• Map of Campbell Island