Mauritian Duck (Anas theodori)
Posted on 31 December, 1696 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1696
Comments:
This species was found on Mauritius, but is now Extinct having not been recorded since 1696. Hunting is likely to have caused its extinction.
Habitat:
Reports indicate that it was found "on lakes and ponds in the woods".
Causes:
The species was presumably hunted to extinction.
Distribution:
The species was endemic to Mauritius, and is known from a number of explorers' accounts (Cheke 1987), and bones (Cowles 1987). Although in 1681, the "gray teal" was found in "great numbers" it was becoming rare by 1693, and was last mentioned as extant in 1696. There are also numerous travellers' reports of sarcelles and canards from Réunion, and so presumably this or a similar species also occurred there, where they were extinct by 1710 at latest, although no bones have been found (Cheke 1987).