MetaFilter posts tagged with extinct

Haast's eagles were to NZ as Dingos are to Australia

filthy light thief — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:41:54 -0800

Legends from New Zealand held that there was a large predator bird, known as pouakai, that was big enough to carry human beings off to its nest or den. Some people associated stories of Pouakai with the giant flightless Moa, extinct in 1773. Others thought it might be another extinct giant bird on the South Island, Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). The eagle, locally known as Te Hokioi, has been extinct for 500 years, overlapping with the early settlers by some 200 years. There was some speculation that the giant eagle was a scavenger due to partially protected nasal openings, which are benefit to protect nasal cavities when digging into carcasses, analogous to features found on accipitrid vultures. Recent studies have provide there is proof that the Haast's Eagle was a fearsome predator, with talons like tigers and the ability to dive on prey at 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). Weighing twice as much as the Steller's Sea Eagle, the heaviest modern eagle at 9 kilograms (20 lb), the Haast's Eagle was the only large predator on the South Island. It's primary prey was most likely the Moa, the largest of reached about 3.7 m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kg (510 lb). Because it is unlikely that even two Haast's Eagles could eat a complete Moa before it went bad, these kills were bounties for smaller predatory birds, from whom they may have evolved. The absence of mammalian competitors facilitated the evolution of much larger eagles and owls on Cuba and may have likewise precipitated the rapid morphological shift, with an increase in body size by at least an order of magnitude in less than 2 million years. Historic myth, fact, and fiction Another Waitaha myth tells of a contest between the hawk and hokioi. The hawk said it could reach the heavens; the hokioi said it could reach the heavens; there was contention between them. The hokioi said to the hawk, “what shall be your sign?” The hawk replied, “kei” (the peculiar cry of the hawk). Then the hawk asked, “what is to be your sign?” The hokioi replied, “hokioi–hokioi–hu–u.” These were there words. They then flew and approached the heavens. The winds and the clouds came. The hawk called out “kei” and descended, it could go no further on account of the winds and the clouds, but the hokioi disappeared into the heavens. Though the Pouakai could attack a person, there is information from people eating the eagles, detailing that a particular wood was needed to sufficiently cook their haunches. One of the mysteries and curiosities of New Zealand is a UFO explosion in Tapanui, New Zealand, 1178, which the author believes lead to telekinetic pollution of New Zealand that caused in past, and still causes now, that various organisms which live in New Zealand to sporadically mutate to gigantic sizes. Based on a blurry photograph and some footprints found in mud, some cryptozoologists are claiming the Moa lives on.

103: Having a lawn you could tell kids to get off

wendell — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:51:11 -0800

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About a rather comprehensive list, ranging from the gone-and-forgotten (22: Using jumpers to set IRQs) to the not-yet-extinct-but going-there (41: Phone books and Yellow Pages). But missing a few like 101: wired.com not being a nostalgia site and 102: getting punished for calling your dad a geek.

Castor fiber

chuckdarwin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:10:46 -0800

An escaped beaver has been felling trees in Devon. The large (six-stone) male escaped an animal sanctuary along with two females when an electric fence was shorted by flooding. His owner thinks he went in search of a mate."We've got traps being made up at the moment," he said. "Using the scent from one of the female beavers, we'll be able to catch the male beaver fairly quickly." The beaver became extinct in Great Britain in the sixteenth century: Giraldus Cambrensis reported in 1188 that it was to be found only in the Teifi in Wales and in one river in Scotland, though his observations are clearly second hand. In October 2005, six European beavers were reintroduced to Britain in Lower Mill Estate in Gloucestershire; in July 2007 a colony of four European beavers was established at Martin Mere in Lancashire, and there are plans for re-introductions in Scotland and Wales. See also: Castoreum

Real life Furby.

MaryDellamorte — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:35:26 -0800

Believed to be extincted, the pygmy tarsier has recently resurfaced in a rain forest in Indonesia. More pictures here and video here.

A vicitm of overhunting

owhydididoit — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:40:32 -0800

The Caribbean Monk seal is officially extinct. It's the first seal extinction attributed to human activities, though it may not be the last.

Wild Wolverines in Tahoe National Forest

Chinese Jet Pilot — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:06:08 -0800

Ferocious-looking mystery creature in Tahoe National Forest confirmed to be a California wolverine, thought to be extinct since 1922. A motion-detecting camera snapped a compelling photo behind the beast last month, and the California Department of Fish and Game just confirmed the discovery with a clear profile shot. Notably, both photos appear to show the same animal.

A slice of a lost world

never used baby shoes — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:00:09 -0800

The forest preserve of Białowieza is considered to be the last primeval forest in lowland Europe. Because of its unique position on the border of the temperate and boreal climate zones, it contains a unique mixture of trees, such as Norway Spruce and oaks. It also contains an interesting mix of fauna, including the European Bison, beaver, wolves, and the Nazi re-creation of an extinct species. Some photos. And some other photos.

Cruisin' at 2700 feet

cenoxo — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:55:32 -0800

Return of the Dodo — Finnish sculptor and photographer Harri Kallio takes a couple of feathered friends back to Mauritius to imagine what might have been.

So long, and thanks for all the handbags

asok — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:09:52 -0800

Death of a goddess Another first for China? The yangtze dolphin may be the first cetacean to be made extinct by man. Mentioned by Douglas Adams and Mark Cawardine in 'Last Chance to See' in 1989 when there were still sightings, the mammal may now be extinct. Two weeks into an international expedition to locate the last dolphins there have been no sightings. Fresh water porpoises seem to be incompatible with modern China's economic boom and accompanying environmental destruction. Attempts at conservation seem to be coming a bit late for this 20 million year old species.

A Lost Marsupial

interrobang — Wed, 04 May 2005 18:35:31 -0800

"The onslaught of destruction wrought upon the thylacine by the early settlers of Tasmania came about largely as a result of fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding." An extinct carnivorous marsupial .

Dam, that's big.

DeepFriedTwinkies — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 06:01:42 -0800

The Grand Coulee dam in northeast Washington state is the largest concrete structure in the United States. First conceived as a smaller dam, the idea of a large project won out and the Coulee's size was limited only by the fact that, if bigger, we'd flood Canada.

It wasn't until the New Deal philosophy of putting folks to work (even songwriters) materialized that the dam was given a green-light. The project, 30 years in development and 9 years in construction, was by all means a rousing success. Unless you were a displaced native. Or a fish.

Extinct animals action figures

milovoo — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 10:50:38 -0800

Extinct animals action figures - get yours and make them fight. Recreate the famous battles of Dodo vs. Caribbean Monk Seal, or Little Swan Island Hutia vs. the Balinese Tiger.

Endangered Species: Human Languages Are Becoming Extinct

y2karl — Mon, 01 Mar 2004 09:00:54 -0800

Imagine how different politics would be if debates were conducted in Tariana, an Amazonian language in which it is a grammatical error to report something without saying how you found it out. Say No More. Some call it Murder that is a threat to survival. On Saving Dying Languages. A sample project: Iquito Language Documentation Project (PDF) Here are some Endangered language Resources. Here is a booklist by Andrew Dalby on lost and threatened languages and here you can put your money where your mouth is: Endangered Language Fund.

biscotti — Thu, 01 Aug 2002 12:22:15 -0800

The Thylacine Museum is a true labour of love. Everything you could possibly want to know about the thylacine (AKA "Tasmanian tiger" or "Tasmanian wolf"). Able to open its mouth incredibly wide, sit upright on its hind legs like a kangaroo, and a foremost example of convergent evolution (extremely similar to placental mammals like wolves, yet marsupial), the thylacine was a fascinating animal. Hunted to extinction in less than a hundred years (or not), a cloning project is underway to try and resurrect it. This site has everything: videos, Java-riffic skull diagrams, pictures of mummified thylacines who died over 4,000 years ago, and pictures of Benjamin, the last captive thylacine who died in 1936.

jhiggy — Thu, 05 Oct 2000 18:06:04 -0800

Animals thought extinct found in remote Cambodian jungle: British scientists have found a wilderness in the Cardamom region of Cambodia where exotic species, some though to be extinct, have been found. These include the Siamese crocodile, the wolf snake (a new species so named because of its dog-like fangs), large populations of tigers and Asian elephants, and the gower, a forest cow. Ironically, the habitat was protected from significant human intrusion because it was a longtime Khmer Rouge stronghold and also because routes lead to and from it are landmined.