Extinct species of bird came back from the dead, scientists find

[DPS Ammonite]

A rail species twice evolved into a flightless species on an island that then submerged and re-emerged.

 

“The extremely rare process is known as iterative evolution -- the repeated evolution of a species from the same ancestor at different times in history.”

 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/africa/white-throated-rail-extinction-scli-intl-scn/index.html

 

The press release that references the original scientific paper:

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/uop-tbt050919.php

 

Quote from above Eurekalert website: 

“Fossil evidence presented here is unique for rails, and epitomises the ability of these birds to successfully colonise isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions.”

 

Link to abstract and paywalled journal article:

https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz018/5487031?redirectedFrom=fulltext

 

See Wikipedia: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-throated_rail

[Shellseeker]

Wiped out 135000 years ago... That is some feat of magic.!!!  @Auspex Any one have fossils of this bird?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/africa/white-throated-rail-extinction-scli-intl-scn/index.html

[Tidgy's Dad]

Rather wonderful. 

[Fossildude19]

Topics merged.

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Topics merged.

Thanks for covering , Tim.  I should have looked...

[Auspex]

I assume that they are comparing skeletons? Pretty hard to separate King Rails and Clapper Rails on that basis...

There must be an underlying genetic predisposition, carried in a surviving branch through the years and seeding convergent evolution when the environment was right.