When the Dutch colonized the island of Mauritius back in the 17thcentury , sailor boy brought with them avariety of pets and animalsas carry - ons , like cats , rats and monkeys . Unadapted to these new vulture , local creature would have been deeply affected by their introduction . fossil , for case , were wiped out within just 90 years of the arrival of the Dutch . Unfortunately , there live few detailed descriptions of the Mauritian ecosystem prior to Dutch moving in , except of settlers jotting down which animals were easy to catch .
The native wildlife of Mauritius has therefore been passably of a enigma to biologists . But thanks to a freshly pick up report , scientists have now been able-bodied to gain an challenging insight into retiring aliveness on the island , which has revealed that it was once home to some truly bizarre , now out creature .
The late translated and transcribed document was written between the years of 1666 - 1669 by soldier Johannes Pretorius , who was arrogate the role ofziekentrooster , or comforter of the sick . According to the document ’s analytic thinking , which has been published inHistorical Biology , what he produced is by far the most elaborated phonograph recording of the native animal lifespan on the island get word to date . Not only that , but he also described the effect of introduced animals , and how they kept now - out bird species in captivity .
Although the writer are n’t sure why he cease up creating this wildlife account , lead author Julian Hume toldLive Sciencethat his writing style suggests he may have been attribute the job of report whether the island would be suitable for lasting colonisation , such as describing what animals they could potentially eat .
Alongside spend some time talk over the less exciting animals , such as cattle , cervid , Capricorn and pigs , Pretorius offer some engrossing description of the native brute . For object lesson , he tell that the now extinct Broad - bill , or raven , Parrot could n’t fly , but we roll in the hay that they were physiologically capable of flying , albeit badly . It ’s likely that this would have ultimately guide to their downfall . He also commented on their fast-growing nature , delineate them as “ very badly temper . ” These birds were so feisty , Hume toldLive Science , that they would put up a good fight against introduced predators such as macaques and pitch-dark rats . But their stubborn attitude did n’t end there , as Pretorius wrote that they would also refuse to eat meal when imprisoned , and would rather pall than live in incarceration .
He also described the Mauritius blue pigeon , which he repeatedly attempted to rear but fail , as having a warty face . That ’s interesting , read Hume , because all other closely relate coinage also have warts on the face , yet modern-day illustrations and history limn or identify them as smooth - faced .
Another eloquent depiction was of the Mauritius Red Rail , an also now - extinct flightless bird , which was apparently “ improbably stupid . ”According to Pretorius , it was so stupid that it would actually lead towards the great unwashed if they waved objects at them and made gimcrack noises , and made no endeavor to get away the wrath of their reefer . comfortable dinner , then , but perhaps not the tasty ; “ butterball and greasy , ” he notes .
While we ’ve showcased some of his amusing writings , this text file is in reality of great interest because it not only provides the first ecological detail of some of the island ’s now - extinct dame , it also describes the woes ofattempting to outlive and grow cropsduring the time of colonisation .
[ ViaLive ScienceandHistorical Biology ]
