The discovery of an extinct shelduck highlights the rich ancient biodiversity of the remote Rēkohu Chatham Islands

The discovery of an extinct shelduck highlights the rich ancient biodiversity of the remote Rēkohu Chatham Islands

An artist's depiction of the Rēkohu shelduck. Sasha Votyakova/Te Papa , CC BY-NDIslands are natural laboratories where evolution can run rampant as plants and animals adapt to new environmental conditions and vacancies in the ecosystem. This creates all manner of unique animals, although sadly extinction rates are high on islands and many species are now gone. Examples include a blind, flightless duck with a sensory bill (like a platypus) on Haw…