Duck Stuffed Animal

The beauty of a duck stuffed animal is that you never have to worry about putting it in the water

. In fact, it likely wouldn't take very kindly to getting wet given its soft, plush, fur isn't made for an aquatic lifestyle. Your very close and passionate attachment to your duck stuffed animal, however, will be no different than with any other soft toy.

One of the world's most endangered waterfowl is the Laysan duck, which is native to Hawaii. It gets its name from Hawaiian island of Laysan where it has lived in a range of just 2.5 miles for 150 years. In 2004 and 2005, however, biologists released 42 of the ducks on Midway Atoll (just a one day boat ride from Laysan) with the intent of trying to rebuild the population.

The Laysan duck is small and dark and has orange legs and a white eye-ring. The amount of white coloring found around the eye and on the head varies between individuals. Some adult males, in fact, have a light green hue on their dark head. Laysan duck feathers are dark reddish brown, blotched and/or spotted dark brown and they have a patch of color (blue or teal green ) on their wings. The female's bill is pale brown while the males is dark green.

During the day, Laysan ducks select different habitats; adults will typically hide in dense vegetation during the day (where they rest) but can be seen on the central lake of Laysan during early evening and night which is the time they feed on shrimp, brine, and other invertebrate like moths. Its preference is for areas in the lake close to freshwater that flows out from the shore. That is particularly the case when they are raising ducklings who can less tolerate the salinity of the water. When resting and nesting, they will do so in dense shrub and grasses. When they want reach more remote parts of the island, Laysan ducks will fly but the majority of their time is spent walking and running on the ground.

Because the population of Laysan ducks is so small, they are particularly vulnerable to being wiped out due to disease or even severe weather. There are no predators to the ducks to speak of on the island but there is always the chance of of an accidental introduction of one. If it should occur, there are no measures in place to deal with it.

It wouldn't be unusual for a favored duck stuffed animal to sleep along side its human owner most of its 'life.' It's also not unusual to find that same duck stuffed animal regarded as a treasured member of the family, like a pet when lost, there is great panic and equally great apprehension from its owner when it has to be washed.

duck stuffed animal

plush stuffed animals

Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

Duck Stuffed Animal

By: Shelley Vassall

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