Waitaha Penguin
Encyclopedia
The Waitaha Penguin is an extinct
species of New Zealand
penguin
discovered in November 2008.
The new species was discovered by University of Otago
and University of Adelaide
scientists comparing the foot bones of 500-year-old, 100-year-old and modern specimens of penguins. They initially believed all belonged to the Yellow-eyed Penguin
, (Megadyptes antipodes), a species which has been threatened since human settlement. However, the 500-year-old subfossil
bones yielded different DNA. According to lead researcher Sanne Boessenkool, Waitaha Penguins "were around 10% smaller than the Yellow-eyed Penguin. The two species are very closely related, but we can't say if they had a yellow crown." "Our findings demonstrate that yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand are not a declining remnant of a previous abundant population, but came from the sub-Antarctic relatively recently and replaced the extinct Waitaha Penguin," said team member Dr Jeremy Austin, deputy director of the Australasian Centre for Ancient DNA.
As the local Māori people have no record of this different species, it is estimated to have perished between c. AD 1300 and 1500, soon after Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand
. While it is currently unclear precisely how the species became extinct, Boessenkool says they were probably eaten by the settlers. "The fact we find these bones in archaeological sites, villages or settlements, suggests hunting played a role. The birds were an easy target, easy to take and there were never very many of them." After their extinction, their range was occupied by Yellow-eyed Penguins, previously most abundant in the sub-Antarctic islands further south
. The decrease in sea lion populations after human settlement may also have eased their expansion. Another coauthor, Dr Phil Seddon, said "these unexpected results highlight ... the dynamic nature of ecosystem change, where the loss of one species may open up opportunities for the expansion of another." The report was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society
B.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
species of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
discovered in November 2008.
The new species was discovered by University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
and University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
scientists comparing the foot bones of 500-year-old, 100-year-old and modern specimens of penguins. They initially believed all belonged to the Yellow-eyed Penguin
Yellow-eyed Penguin
The Yellow-eyed Penguin or Hoiho is a penguin native to New Zealand. Previously thought closely related to the Little Penguin , molecular research has shown it more closely related to penguins of the genus Eudyptes...
, (Megadyptes antipodes), a species which has been threatened since human settlement. However, the 500-year-old subfossil
Subfossil
Subfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the conditions in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
bones yielded different DNA. According to lead researcher Sanne Boessenkool, Waitaha Penguins "were around 10% smaller than the Yellow-eyed Penguin. The two species are very closely related, but we can't say if they had a yellow crown." "Our findings demonstrate that yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand are not a declining remnant of a previous abundant population, but came from the sub-Antarctic relatively recently and replaced the extinct Waitaha Penguin," said team member Dr Jeremy Austin, deputy director of the Australasian Centre for Ancient DNA.
As the local Māori people have no record of this different species, it is estimated to have perished between c. AD 1300 and 1500, soon after Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand
Immigration to New Zealand
Immigration to New Zealand began with Polynesian settlement in New Zealand, then uninhabited, in the tenth century . The role of Moriori settlement is currently disputed, with some suggesting that the Moriori arrived in New Zealand before the Maori, and were distinct from Maori, & others favouring...
. While it is currently unclear precisely how the species became extinct, Boessenkool says they were probably eaten by the settlers. "The fact we find these bones in archaeological sites, villages or settlements, suggests hunting played a role. The birds were an easy target, easy to take and there were never very many of them." After their extinction, their range was occupied by Yellow-eyed Penguins, previously most abundant in the sub-Antarctic islands further south
New Zealand sub-antarctic islands
The five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....
. The decrease in sea lion populations after human settlement may also have eased their expansion. Another coauthor, Dr Phil Seddon, said "these unexpected results highlight ... the dynamic nature of ecosystem change, where the loss of one species may open up opportunities for the expansion of another." The report was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society
Proceedings of the Royal Society
Proceedings of the Royal Society is the parent title of two scientific journals published by the Royal Society, whereas its initial journal, Philosophical Transactions, is now devoted to special thematic issues...
B.
See also
- Fauna of New Zealand
- List of extinct New Zealand animals
- List of birds of New Zealand