- Most New Zealanders have heard of the huia (Heteralocha
acutirostris), a beautiful bird that
became extinct in the early part of the
20th century.
- But did you know that the huia had its own special
species of louse (Rallicola extinctus)?
- When the huia went extinct, so did its insect companion.
- Specimens of the louse, which would have crawled
around in and fed on the feathers
of the bird, have been recovered from 100-year-old huia skins
preserved
in museums.
- Because the louse was only recently discovered on
the old huia skins, nobody has ever
seen it alive.
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