kakapo
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Scientists want to sequence the genomes of all known kakapo
Scientists want to sequence the genomes of all known kakapo, which shouldn't be that hard -- the animal is critically endangered, and it's believed that there are only 125 individuals left. Kakapos are the heaviest and the only flightless parrot species in the world. These rotund, funny-looking birds endemic to New Zealand are nocturnal and live on the ground, eating plants, fruits and seeds. The team has launched this project to help the species' numbers bounce back. It will give scientists info on their fertility and help them figure out if the animals are susceptible to particular diseases. It'll also prevent the team from mating two closely related individuals, as kakapos are already inbred and have little genetic diversity.
