A mystery revealed

It's amazing to think that a species can, in a sense, raise from the dead. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker, although considered extinct, has supposedly existed without human knowledge for quite some time now. I am going to assume that the population of the species has grown since its habitual forests have re-strengthened. Having considered this, it is interesting to see how one’s environment dictates what inhabits it rather than human anthropomorphous attitudes that we dictate what our environment encompasses. Perhaps the woodpecker has adapted to its environment as the forests have been depleted. But if the population is in fact growing, it is the state of its natural environment that has allowed it to raise from the dead. It is a reality check about what the environment could do to humans if we do not treat it with care and consideration. I also wonder what the Ivory Billed Woodpecker’s ecological role is. What is it contributing to the chain of connection in the Southeastern forests? How crucial is it? Not knowing makes me think about what we discussed in class about science as a puzzle. Perhaps knowledge about this species’ role could connect a piece of the puzzle in order to uncover some sort of scientific mystery. Wouldn’t that be romantic for this lone kayaker who had a chance encounter with this elusive bird?