King Island Emu
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| Dromaius ater (Vieillot, 1817) |
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The King Island Emu or Black Emu (Dromaius ater) is an extinct ratite species which occurred on King Island between Australia and Tasmania. It is known from subfossil bones and one museum specimen.
It had darker plumage and was much smaller than other emu subspecies, with only half the weight of the mainland form. Its taxonomy has been subject to much debate due to confusion with the Kangaroo Island Emu, and only was resolved in 1984 by Shane A. Parker.
[edit] Extinction
The King Island Emu was discovered by the Baudin expedition in 1802. Two or three individuals were brought back to France in 1804 and were kept in captivity in the Jardin des Plantes, the last one dying in 1822. One of these last birds remains today as the sole surviving skin in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. At the time of the death of the last captive bird, the species was long gone from King Island, having been killed off by hunting and, apparently, fires started by visiting sailors.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2006). Dromaius ater. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 22 Jun 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is extinct.
- Parker, Shane A. (1984): The extinct Kangaroo Island emu, a hitherto unrecognised species. Bull. B.O.C. 104: 19-22.
- Vieillot, Louis Jean Pierre (1817): [Description of Dromaius ater]. Nouveau Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle 11: 212.
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