Talpanas lippa (lat.) - a species of extinct ducks , the only representative of the genus Talpanas [1] [2] . It was endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai , where the subfossil bones of the species were found in the Makauwahi Cave [3] . The age of fossil remains is estimated at 6 thousand years (approximately 4050 BC) [1] . A holotype , a partially preserved skull, is stored at the Smithsonian Institution with sample number USNM 535683.
| † Talpanas lippa |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Rod: | † Talpanas Olson & James, 2009 |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Talpanas lippa Olson & James, 2009 |
Geochronologyextinction 0.006 million years | million years | The epoch | Pd | Era |
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| | Th | TO
but
th
n
about
s
about
th | | 2.588 | | | 5.33 | Pliocene | H
e
about
g
e
n | | 23.03 | Miocene | | 33.9 | Oligocene | P
but
l
e
about
g
e
n | | 55,8 | Eocene | | 65.5 | Paleocene | | 251 | Mesozoic |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction |
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The name of the genus Talpanas is derived from Latin. talpa - " mole ", reflecting the small size of the eyes of this bird, as well as Greek. anas - "duck" [1] . The species name lippa is derived from lat. lippus , which means "almost blind" [1] . Thus, the Latin name of the species can be translated as “almost blind krotoutka” [4] .
This species differs from all other known species of the Duck family with a number of unique morphological features. Talpanas lippa is a bird of the size of a female of the modern mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ), with short and strong legs, very poor eyesight and a sensitive beak. The skull is short and wide, the brain in it occupied a relatively small volume. The orbits of the skull are extremely small and wide apart, and the openings of the optic nerve canals are very narrow. This indicates a poorly developed vision in this species. At the same time, the openings through which the branches of the trigeminal nerve responsible for the skin sensitivity of the facial part of the skull passed, on the contrary, are unnaturally large. The bill on the typical skull was not preserved, it is assumed that it was wide and sensitive. The bones of the back girdle of the limbs are short and strong, a number of features of their structure indicate that during life the bird preferred not to swim, but moved on a hard surface. The difference in size between the bones of the two individuals found suggests a possible pronounced sexual dimorphism . Talpanas lippa was probably a flightless bird [4] [1] .
Probably, these birds were extremely twilight and nocturnal . In searching for food, Talpanas lippa relied on touch with a sensitive beak. It is believed that their food was insects , clams and earthworms , as well as fallen berries and fruits . A well-developed sense of smell could also play a role in the search for food, but the size of the trigeminal nerve indicates the leading role of the somatosensory system. Due to the probable inability to fly, the reduction of the orbits and openings for the optic nerves of Talpanas can be viewed as ducks that occupied the ecological niche of modern kiwi birds on the island of Kauai. Indeed, up to historical time, terrestrial mammals in the Hawaiian Islands were absent. Among the few specialized predators known for Kauai Island are the extinct owl Grallistrix auceps and the Buteo solitarius, the locally extinct on the island [4] [1] .