Saint Helena Rail (Laterallus podarces)

Posted on 31 December, 1550 in Extinct

Year Last Seen:

1550

Comments:

This species was known from St Helena, but is now Extinct. It was presumably driven to extinction by hunting soon after the island was discovered in 1502.

Habitat:

Nothing is known.

Causes:

It was large and flightless, and therefore probably hunted to extinction by humans and introduced predators.

Distribution:

Atlantisia podarces was described from fossils by Wetmore (1963) as a St Helena (to UK) endemic genus, Aphanocrex, but re-assigned to Atlantisia by Olson (1973). It presumably became extinct soon after the discovery of the island in 1502.

References:

IUCN Redbook Data