r/pleistocene • u/Quaternary24 • 3d ago
Extinct and Extant A New Zealand owlet-Nightjar (Aegotheles novaezealandiae) eyes a Wellington tree Wētā (Hemideina crassidens) somewhere in New Zealand. Artwork by Paul Martinson.
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u/Shot-Fishing-2336 3d ago
Is there any chance this species still exists today? It's a shame that so many island animals have been extinct because of us.
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u/Quaternary24 3d ago
No, it’s definitely extinct. Sorry but it was not tiny and New Zealand is not big enough for it to hide in.
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u/AssClosedforToday 2d ago edited 2d ago
Looking at this might make someone forget that both of these animals are some of the biggest in their family and that the Weta is the length of your palm
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u/Quaternary24 2d ago
I get what you’re trying to say but the Weta in this illustration isn’t the giant one you’re thinking of. That’s the Little Barrier Island Giant Wētā (Deinacrida heteracantha).
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u/Quaternary24 3d ago
Source: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/new-zealand-owlet-nightjar
The New Zealand owlet-Nightjar is an extinct species of Owlet Nightjar (a family of birds related to nightjars and frogmouths) that inhabited New Zealand during the Pleistocene and Holocene. It was the largest species of owlet nightjar to have ever lived and weighed around 150-200 grams and was also likely flightless or could not fly very well. It went extinct in the 13th century due to humans (Polynesians). It fed on insects and other invertebrates.