Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Witnessing Darwin's Theory of Evolution in practice?

Ever since chickens were introduced to Kauai by early Hawaiians, and hurricanes blew them out of captivity, the island has been populated by a wild population referred to locally as "Moa". They're everywhere... strolling through the open air restaurants, golf courses and down the beach. But have you ever seen a chicken like this???? We haven't. So we decided to investigate. We consulted with our audobon friends, birders, the local library and chicken farmers on island... the concensus seems to be that our friend Chickita here was born with a genetic defect. This prompted a discussion about genetic selection. We wonder if Chickita's long beak will make it easier for her to find food in the lava cracks. If so, surmises daddy Dave, she will survive and produce offspring with similar beaks. Yesterday I saw a baby chick with a similar beak. How interesting to think that there could be an entirely new bread of chickens here on the island by the time Ellie and Kate visit with their kids! Time will tell...



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