Kauaʻi mole duck

The Kaua'i mole duck (Talpanas lippa) was a species of duck indigenous to Hawaii, discovered and described from a partial skull in 2009 in Makauwahi Cave by Helen F. James, Andrew N. Iwaniuk, and Storrs L. Olson.

The genus name, Talpana, originates from its superficial similarities to moles (also referred to as Talpids), and Anas (the term for ducks) hence its genus name. The species was only found in the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The skull of the specimen is kept in storage at the Smithsonian Institution.

Description

The mole duck had short lower legs and the top of its head was slightly flat yet quite wide, with small eye sockets. Its most interesting feature is its bill. Due to the bird having small eye sockets, it is presumed to have been blind in life and used its bill instead as a probing tool via bio electric currents from hyper sensitive nerve cells (similar to the platypus using its bill for the same purpose, as its bill resembles that of a platypus).

The mole duck occupied much the same niche in Hawaii as the kiwi in New Zealand, being a small ground dwelling bird low on the food chain, and feeding on small invertebrates in soil litter.