In New Zealand, the return of wild takahē populations marks a cautiously celebrated conservation victory, and the return of one of the world’s rarest creatures. The birds had been formally declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers’ animal companions: stoats, cats, ferrets and rats. After their rediscovery in 1948, their numbers are now at about 500, growing at about 8% a year.
Want a another fun fact? The bats evolved to spend a lot of time just walking around on the ground.
And, there’s a special species of fly that lost the ability to actually fly, and for transport it rides around on the backs of the short tailed bats.
Edit: links in next comment.
I enjoy that I can no longer tell if you are serious or not!
What a country! 😂
All my fun facts are 100% real! Footage of short tailed bat walking around on the ground.
Wikipedia entry on Bat Fly .
Department of Conservation bat blog about the flies, with pictures.
Hmm this bat is so cute I might go post it on an ecology community now. :-)
The bat is definitely cute!