Velvet Worms or Peripatus have been around for 540 million years, way before the dinosaurs…but we know almost nothing about them.

Over 30 years ago, Dave Randle, a Peripatus Advocate accidentally found these fascinating creatures right in his garden in Dunedin and has been protecting them ever since. 

Recently Prof Peter Dearden (University of Otago) has been working to sequence the Peripatus genome for the first time in the world, with the aim of unravelling secrets about these mysterious creatures. 

Explore further about the Onychophora / Peripatus

http://www.onychophora.com/ 

Watch the 3 minute short film about Peripatus in Dunedin - https://youtu.be/NMKHmWT3dZg 

Featuring

Dave Randle-  Peripatus Advocate

Prof Peter Dearden (University of Otago, Genomics Aotearoa) 

Jo Carpenter  (Ecologist- Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research) 

Gabby Dale & Harriet Dale (Tainui School, Dunedin)

Marcia Dale

Producer, Sound Recordist, Sound Editor & Presenter -

Karthic SS

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Kindly supported by the NZ Lottery Grants Environment and Heritage fund, administered by Te Tari Taiwhenua, the Department of Internal Affairs

Supported by OAR FM Dunedin & Science Communication, University of Otago.

This show was broadcast on community radio⁠ OAR 105.4FM⁠ Dunedin and available at ⁠http://accessmedia.nz/⁠