Otago Museum living environments officer Dr Anthony Stumbo is delighted by close encounters with magnificent owl butterflies at the museum's Tuhura Tropical Forest.
US-born, Dr Stumbo has a University of Otago PhD in zoology and finds animal behaviour fascinating, including at the Tropical Forest.
"The magnificent owl is crepuscular and will usually only fly around at dawn and dusk.
"Coming in at sunrise is magical when we have large numbers of them, because they are our largest butterflies, and they'll spend their time chasing each other around in a sort of dance,'' he said.
"Some species are territorial, and will chase other butterflies around, while others spend a large portion of their time trying to attract a mate by showing their colours,'' he said.
Among the forest's other creatures, including several bird species, two new pearl cockatiels were settling in well.
"They don't mind the visitors, even the shyer one, unless someone tries to touch them.''
In that case, though, they just inched away or flew to a different spot.
On one recent day they did "get a little grumpy'' when the forest's rain was turned on to boost the humidity.
The Tropical Forest, with its 28degC temperature and about 75% humidity, still offers a surprise factor for visitors to the South.
"It's really not something many people expect to see in a place like Dunedin, and knowing that we're providing people with an inspiring experience is really fulfilling.''
Dr Stumbo's PhD focused on a fish parasite called a trematode, a type of parasitic flatworm that infects the eyes of its second intermediate host, the common bully, an endemic New Zealand fish species.
The parasite changes its position within the eye depending on the time of the day.
His research was mainly devoted to studying how the parasite's behaviour altered the neurology and behaviour of the host.
And Dr Stumbo enjoys his new home city.
"I love Dunedin.
"It's a good size with good people, and a real community feel.''
When not at work, he enjoys tramping in Central Otago or the Catlins.
"No specific place really. Whatever looks like fun.''
"I do like to tramp, but I spend most of my spare time with friends or doing some hobby of the month.
"I've rediscovered knitting, writing and rock climbing lately, and I'm starting to teach myself computer programming.''
Dr Stumbo (33) was born in Minnesota, and did his bachelor's degree there, and later graduated with a MSc in Alberta, Canada.
He came to Dunedin to study for his PhD in 2013, and started his current museum job about eight months ago.
His first job at the museum, as a science communicator, began in March 2017.
Asked which new animals might be added to the forest in future, he said there was never "a ceiling for improvement''.
"There's plenty of animals I would like to bring in, but we always need to consider their wellbeing and how they will cope in the environment and with visitors. ''
Asked why the Tropical Forest remained popular, he said there were several reasons.
"It has the beautiful butterflies that people can interact with, as well as other animals like the tarantulas and birds.''
"It's a nice warm place to go on a cold winter day.
"It's a unique experience, especially for people who have never had an opportunity to visit a tropical location.
"Seeing the look of awe when a person first sees the Tuhura Tropical Forest is the best part of the job.''
