Last of its kind dodo relative spotted in a remote Samoan rainforest
One of the closest living relatives of dodo has been spotted several times in Samoa, raising hopes that this critically endangered creature can be saved from the brink of extinction.
The latest Samoa Conservation Society (SCS) field survey, which took place from October 17 to November 17. 13, reported five sightings of the manumea (Didunculus strigirostris). Previous surveys have yielded only one observation, if any. The last photograph of this cryptic species in the wild was taken in 2013.
“That was our concern,” said Moeumu Uiliproject coordinator focused on Manuea with SCS. “What happens if we don’t find the bird? Does that mean the manumea is no more?”
Although they confirmed the manumea’s existence, the team had difficulty photographing it due to its distance from the bird, its rapid movements and rainy conditions. “All of a sudden it appears out of nowhere,” Uili told Live Science. “When we see it with binoculars, we can see the bird.”
But by the time researchers lower their binoculars to pick up a camera, the bird is gone, she said.
Last of its kind
The manumea is the only living species of its kind Didunculus kind, which will end if the bird disappears. The scientific name for the chicken-sized manumea, Didunculus strigirostrismeans “little sleep”. Both the dodo and the manumea are classified as ground pigeons of the islands.
THE The dodo became extinct due to habitat loss, hunting and predators. — the same threats to the survival of manumea. Hunting has been banned and punishable by fines, so it is imperative to focus on the main current threat: invasive species, particularly feral cats and rats, experts said. Cats hunt live birds and chicks, while rats eat the eggs and chicks.
“The impact on Manumea is certainly catastrophic,” Joe Wood, manager of international conservation programs at the Toledo Zoo, told Live Science. “It seems very likely that feral cats are a major cause of the decline,” said Drinkwho also co-chairs an International Union for Conservation of Nature group working on Manumea conservation efforts. “There has to be some sort of monitoring program.”
Save staff
In the latest survey this fall, Uili’s team focused on the isolated coastal rainforest of Uafato, but manumea potentially live in six additional forests in Samoa. A current invasive species management program already exists in one of these forests, the Malololelei Recreational Reserve in Samoa, Uili said. If there is funding, SCS would like to expand invasive species management to areas like Uafato.
If a manumea is secured, partners working to save it said they could use biobanks to store biological samples to establish cultured cell lines for the bird. These cell lines will allow them to study the genetic material of the manumea and learn more about it. With more information, they can determine the best steps to take, such as possible captive breeding, to repopulate the species, experts said.
THE non-profit conservation arm of Colossal Biosciences also supports some manumea conservation efforts, such as creating an app to distinguish the call of the manumea from that of another bird in hopes of obtaining a more accurate estimate of manumea prevalence.
Colossal declared having plans to bring back dodos from extinction. He has recently made headlines in support of the “de-extinction” of dire wolves – essentially gray wolves genetically modified to include a handful of traits that make them more like dire wolves.
But we should be wary of efforts to reintroduce extinct species into ecosystems that have changed since they were alive, Nicolas Rawlenceassociate professor and director of the Otago Paleogenetics Laboratory in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, told Live Science.
Rawlence also said there is a need to bring back enough species to ensure genetic diversity so they can adapt and survive, which is known as the rule of 500 in conservation.
To save the manumea, Rawlence echoed Wood and stressed that it was crucial to stop invasive species and other threats to the survival of the manumea without many remaining.
“I think it will always depend on the big job of predator control, habitat restoration and translocation,” he said.
Manumea’s conservation work in Samoa is supported by SCS, the Samoan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, BirdLife International, the Colossal Foundation, Toledo Zoo and the Waddesdon Foundation through the Zoological Society of London.
Editor’s note: This article was produced in partnership with the Fellowship in Journalism and Health Impact at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
