▁many ▁years . ▁ ▁The ▁specific ▁ep ith et ▁hon ours ▁British ▁cons ul ▁William ▁Thomas ▁P rit ch ard . ▁ ▁Distribution ▁and ▁habitat ▁The ▁T ong an ▁meg ap ode ▁is ▁the ▁only ▁remaining ▁species ▁of ▁meg ap ode ▁in ▁T ong a ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁four ▁or ▁five ▁species ▁that ▁were ▁present ▁on ▁the ▁islands ▁in ▁pre human ▁times ▁( as ▁shown ▁through ▁the ▁foss il ▁record ), ▁and ▁indeed ▁the ▁only ▁species ▁of ▁meg ap ode ▁that ▁surv ives ▁in ▁Pol yn esia . ▁Similar ▁ext in ctions ▁occurred ▁in ▁F iji ▁and ▁New ▁C aled onia , ▁which ▁apparently ▁had ▁three ▁species ▁in ▁pre history . ▁The ▁species ▁itself ▁once ▁had ▁a ▁more ▁w ides p read ▁distribution , ▁occurr ing ▁across ▁most ▁of ▁T ong a , ▁Sam oa ▁and ▁Ni ue . ▁The ▁cause ▁of ▁all ▁these ▁ext in ctions ▁and ▁decl ines ▁was ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁humans ▁on ▁the ▁islands , ▁and ▁the ▁associated ▁pred ation ▁on ▁adult s ▁and ▁particularly ▁eggs , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁pred ation ▁by ▁introduced ▁species . ▁ ▁On ▁Ni ua fo ' ou ▁the ▁small ▁human ▁population ▁and ▁rem oten ess ▁of ▁its ▁habitat ▁probably ▁saved ▁the ▁species . ▁The ▁only ▁meg ap ode ▁to ▁surv ive ▁human ▁arrival ▁in ▁Western ▁Pol yn esia , ▁" the ▁meg ap ode ▁nest ing ▁grounds ▁were ▁carefully ▁controlled ▁by ▁the ▁r uling ▁chief , ▁thus ▁ass uring ▁the ▁continued ▁surv ival ▁of ▁this ▁population ." ▁ ▁Its ▁natural ▁habitat ▁is ▁tropical