Sable Island: Alone in the Atlantic

Freshwater pea clams may have hitch-hiked to Sable by clamping on to the feathers of ducks. Since Pea Clams can reproduce from a single individual, it is also possible that the entire Sable population came from one clam.

These seeds use barbed spines to hitch a ride from the mainland. When the bird preens its feathers, the seeds fall off. The seeds of fruits like strawberries may make the trip in the stomachs of birds.

Horse-bot flies came to Sable with the horses. Their larvae are parasites living in the intestines of horses. When the horses — their hosts — arrived on Sable, so did the fly larvae. Because horses are no longer taken to the island, these flies may now be cut off from mainland populations.