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| Query: fossil | Result: 1256th of 1405 | |
Laysan duck, Laysan teal (Anas laysanensis)
| Subject: | Laysan duck, Laysan teal (Anas laysanensis)
| | Poster: | Wiki Photos (---@---.---)
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| Resolution: 1017x759
File Size: 273729 Bytes
Upload Date: 2017:02:04 03:12:53
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Male Laysan Duck/Laysan Teal (Anas laysanensis).
Photo taken by Eike Wulfmeyer, Cologne Zoo, Germany, 15-JUN-2005.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Laysan_teal_male.jpg
The Laysan duck (Anas laysanensis), also known as the Laysan teal, is a dabbling duck endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Fossil evidence reveals that Laysan ducks once lived across the entire archipelago, but today survive only on Laysan Island. The duck has evolved several behavioral traits linked to the absence of ground-based predators in its habitat; these include freezing or running to escape danger rather than flying, which made the duck vulnerable to hunting by humans, and the pigs, rats and mongooses they brought with them to Hawaii. By 1860, the ducks had disappeared from everywhere except Laysan Island. The introduction of rabbits brought the bird to the brink of extinction in 1912 with twelve surviving individuals. Rabbits were eradicated from the island in 1923 and numbers of Laysan ducks began to rise, reaching 500 by the 1950s. In an effort to ensure the long-term future of this duck, 42 birds were translocated to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2002. These thrived in their new surroundings, and another group were later relocated to Kure Atoll. Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae, Subfamily: Anatinae, Genus: Anas, Species: Anas laysanensis Rothschild, 1892. |
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