Flightless bird more species of flightless birds (including the kiwi, several species of penguins, the takahe, the weka, the moa, and several other extinct species) than any other such location. One reason is that until the arrival of humans roughly a thousand years ago, there were no large land predators in New Zealand; the main predators of flightless birds were larger birds. Ratites belong to the superorder Palaeognathae birds, which include the volant tinamou, and are believed to have evolved flightlessness independently multiple times within their own group. Some birds evolved flightlessness in response to the absence of predators, for example on
Southern California Marine Institute (SCOSC) was approved by the Trustees and the Presidents of the founding campuses and the operation of the R/V Nautilus floating marine laboratory began. The University of California Los Angeles is in partnership with the Institute, thereby increasing marine research in Los Angeles, and providing educational opportunities for its students. The eleven institutions in the Southern California Marine Institute consortium are: SCMI operates a fleet of two research vessels, the 76-foot R/V "Yellowfin" and the 64-foot R/V "Sea Watch". Southern California Marine Institute The Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI) is a multi-campus research facility and non-profit oceanographic institution headquartered in