Kaua'i Mole Duck

Talpanas lippa is an extinct breeds of ducks that was endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is the only species of the genus Talpanas. The first scientific description was made in November 2009 by Storrs L. Olson and Helen F. James in the journal Zootaxa. The species is known only from subfossilem material that has been promoted in the Makauwahi cave in Mahaulepu Valley on Kauai for days. The age of the bone is estimated at the time of 4050 BC (6000 yBP ).

Etymology

The genus name " Talpanas " derives from the Latin name " talpa " for mole and refers to the tiny eyes. " Anas " is the Greek word for duck. The epithet " lippa " is " almost blind" derived from the Latin word " Lippus " for.

Description

The tarsometatarsus of Talpanas lippa is short and strong. The skull is flat and broad in proportion to length. The eye sockets ( orbits ) and the foramina optica (holes in the skull through which the optic nerves extend from the eye to the brain ) are very small. Overall, the body characteristics that the eyes and the optic nerves of the duck were significantly reduced. It can therefore be assumed that this type was almost blind and probably flightless. However, the foramina of the maxilla and mandible are (holes, through which the trigeminal nerve passes ) is very large, suggesting that there were yet more nerves for the sense of touch. Olson and James suggest that this duck has explored their environment in the absence of a good eyesight with the help of olfactory stimuli and its touch-sensitive beak.

The holotype, consisting of a partially preserved skull is stored under the label number USNM 535 683 in the Smithsonian Institution.

Way of life

Talpanas lippa probably had a nocturnal and terrestrial life. They probably took the same ecological niche one, as now, the Kiwis in New Zealand.