Researchers Discover Second Native Hawaiian Bat an extinct species to add the lists as a result of human colonization of the islands

The Hawaiian Islands have long been thought to support just one endemic land mammal, the Hawaiian hoary bat. But new fossil evidence indicates that a second, very different species of bat lived alongside the hoary bat for thousands of years before going extinct shortly after humans arrived on the islands. 

The research, published this week in the journal American Museum Novitates, describes the mysterious bat, named Synemporion keana, whose remains were first discovered in a lava tube more than 30 years ago.

“Besides the animals that humans have introduced to the islands, like rats and pigs, the only mammals that we’ve known to be native to Hawaii are a monk seal, which is primarily aquatic, and the hoary bat,” said Nancy Simmons, a co-author on the paper and curator-in-charge of the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Mammalogy. “So finding that there actually was a different bat—a second native land mammal for the islands—living there for such a long period of time was quite a surprise.”

                              The skull of the holotype of Synemporion keana (A), compared with the Hawaiian hoary bat (B).

Synemporion keana first appeared in the fossil record on the islands around 320,000 years ago and survived until at least 1,100 years ago, coexisting alongside the hoary bat for several thousand years. It is known that Synemporion keana was a vesper, or evening bat, but its array of features means that identifying its closest relatives has been challenging. Simmons and her colleagues hope that future work with ancient DNA extracted from the fossils might help them solve the mystery.

 “This extinct bat really is something new, not just a slight variation on a theme of a known genus,” Simmons said. “The new bat contains a mosaic of features from taxa seen on many different continents.”

                                               Skeleton of Synemporion keana embedded in the wall of of Māhiehie Cave on Maui  (Hawaii Islands)

The authors think that the extinction of Synemporion keana may have been a direct or indirect result of human colonization of the islands and the invasive non-native species that accompanied human explorers and settlers.

“It seems possible that the reduction of native forests and associated insects after human colonization of the islands contributed not just to the extinction of plants, birds, and invertebrates, but also to the extinction of this endemic bat,” said Francis Howarth, an entomologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu and co-author on the paper.

Rediscovery of bird species Moustached Kingfisher with controversy between preservation and science

For scientists, should killing rare species be business as usual? 

A scientist has sparked outrage after killing a rare and beautiful bird only moments after it was photographed for the first time.

The Moustached Kingfisher (Actenoides excelsus) is known as a ‘ghost bird’ because it’s so rare – and is known to dwell on the Solomon Islands.

But when the animal’s call was heard by scientist Chris Filardi, he promptly tracked it down and killed it.

Mr Filardi, the director of Pacific Programs at the American Museum of Natural History, claimed that the animal had been ‘collected as a specimen for additional study.’

Is not better to preserve a rare species than to kill it for additional study?

 

After evading scientists for decades, the adorable “ghost bird” of the Solomon Islands is finally ready for its close up. 

The Moustached Kingfisher is an elusive bird—the cartoonish species had not been seen in the wild for decades, and until earlier this month, it had never been photographed. But two weeks ago a group of researchers led by individuals from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) happened upon one while surveying endemic wildlife in the mossy jungles of Guadalcanal, the biggest isle in the Solomon Island chain, and snapped some winning photos of the bright blue bird.

 

AMNH biologist Chris Filardi and his team were traipsing through the dense forest when they heard what they thought was the call of a large kingfisher. Moments later, one of the surveyors spotted something moving in a nearby thicket: A blue-and-gold bird flourished its crest for a moment, before vanishing in a blur of color, Filardi wrote in his blog. "A methodical tail pumping behavior that caught my eye," helped him recognize it as a male Moustached Kingfisher—a bird he'd sought for more than 20 years. 

 Species distribution range map for Guadalcanal Moustached Kingfisher (Actenoides excelsus)

There have been very few sightings of Moustached Kingfishers to date, and none of them have been male. Prior to this discovery, the only real sources of information on the species were three female specimens spotted in the 1920s and 1950s. That doesn’t mean the birds are particularly uncommon—they just prefer a very specific, and hidden, habitat. Moustached Kingfishers tend to roost in tall patches of closed-canopy forest and nest in holes in the ground. Their anonymity may also come from the fact that very few ornithologists have explored Guadalcanal over the last century. The stately birds tend to be crepuscular—only active at dusk and dawn—making them even harder to spot and giving them their ghost-like reputation.

“Initially it was a surreal, childlike sense of a mythical beast come to life, Filardi says. 

In the days following the sighting, Filardi and his team eavesdropped on several more kingfisher calls. They were finally able to catch one in a mist net—“a gorgeous, strong, and raucous” male, Filardi says. The researchers got to work right away photographing and filming the bird’s behavior. Ultimately, with the blessing of the local community, the team euthanized the bird so they could bring the specimen back with them for further study, in hopes of answering questions about lineage and evolution of this cryptic species.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the bird was euthanized and the specimen collected. Paul Sweet, collection manager for the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History and one of the researchers on the team, told Audubon that they assessed the state of the population and the state of the habitat, and concluded it was substantial and healthy enough that taking the specimen—the only male ever observed by science—would not affect the population’s success. Filardi also wrote an op-ed explaining his decision.