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.
But the lucky few who went east ended up on islands including Mauritius, Réunion and Aldabra, the latter of which was studied by the researchers.The rails on Aldabra lost the ability to fly over time, because the lack of predators made it unnecessary -- just as the dodo of Mauritius did. What you didn't know about the dodoUnfortunately, that gave them no means of escape when the island was submerged and all its flora and fauna were wiped out.
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