Garganornis (SciiFii)

The Italian giant goose (Garganornis ballmanni, name meaning "Balmann's Gargano bird") is a species of enormous flightless anatid waterfowl that originally lived from the Late Miocene of Gargano, Italy, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced to the Mediterranean islands off the coast of Italy to help boost biodiversity. It is also a very common bird in captivite environments such as park lake islands/shores, petting zoos, zoos, and safari parks. It is a much larger bird than the mute swan, growing to be about 4.11 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weigh between 15–22 kilograms (33–49 lb), and its enormous size is thought to be an adaptation to living in exposed, open areas with no terrestrial predators, and as a deterrent to the indigenous aerial predators like the eagle Garganoaetus and the giant barn owl Tyto gigantea. As an adaptation for a fully-terrestrial lifestype, it has reduced webbing between its toes and fills an ecological niche to other similarily-sized herbivorous birds. It also has bony knobs on its wrists that are used to give some extra force to wing-slaps when fighting with each other over territory and/or mates. It is a solitary animal that spends most of its life alone except during breeding seasons. The conservation status of the Italian giant goose in its natural range is Near Threatened due to some habitat loss and, historically, invasive species, however, thanks to conservationists, the invasive predators and egg-eating animals were eradicated from the Mediterranean islands and the Italian giant goose is a protected species.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii