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Related: About this forumExtinct species of bird came back from the dead, scientists find
Source: CNN
Extinct species of bird came back from the dead, scientists find
By Rob Picheta, CNN
Updated 1600 GMT (0000 HKT) May 10, 2019
(CNN) A previously extinct species of bird returned from the dead, reclaiming the island it previously lived on and re-evolving itself back into existence, scientists have said.
The white-throated rail colonized the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean and evolved to become flightless, before being completely wiped out when the island disappeared below the sea around 136,000 years ago.
But researchers found similar fossils from before and after that event, showing that the chicken-sized bird re-appeared when sea levels fell again a few thousand years later, re-colonized the island and again lost the ability to fly.
The flightless rail can be found on Aldabra to this day.
The extremely rare process is known as iterative evolution -- the repeated evolution of a species from the same ancestor at different times in history.
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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/10/africa/white-throated-rail-extinction-scli-intl-scn/index.html
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Related: Repeated evolution of flightlessness in Dryolimnas rails (Aves: Rallidae) after extinction and recolonization on Aldabra (Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society)
mahina
(17,715 posts)Reintroduction from another area or something. Maybe it wasnt always flightless. Just a thought.
mopinko
(70,268 posts)the original ancestor flew back, recolonized, and again lost it's flight.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)since the term exists, it must have had an example to apply it to.
Bongo Prophet
(2,651 posts)Not very specific, but might be a start:
http://www.geowords.com/histbookpdf/f21.pdf
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Thank you for providing this.