New Zealand’s kakapo parrot is equally rare and bizarre: critically endangered, with 154 survivors living on three protected predator-free islands, the birds can’t survive the presence of rats, cats, and other potentially-carniverous mammals, can’t fly, and reproduce slowly and strangely.
The chapter about them is perhaps the most memorable part of Douglas Adams’ excellent non-fiction book Last Chance to See.
Now, the DNA of every living kakapo is being sequenced, with 81 done already.
Author: Milan
In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford.
Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.
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Related:
Towel Day: a curious but entertaining memorial
Oxford Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum
One week of break remains
Shagged by a rare parrot – Last Chance To See – BBC Two