On the prehistoric plains of Australia shone a golden age for large flightless birds. There was the “Demon Duck of Doom” that lived round 15 million years in the past in what’s now the continent’s Northern Territory.
Now, we have to make room in our hearts for an additional: an absolute unit that, scientists have revealed, bore greater than a passing resemblance to fashionable geese. Simply, you recognize, considerably bigger.
We have identified about Genyornis newtoni for fairly a while. The species, which died out round 45,000 years in the past, was first described in 1913.
An imposing chicken standing as much as 2.25 meters (7.4 toes) tall and weighing as much as 230 kilograms (510 kilos), Genyornis newtoni would have been a formidable presence within the grassland habitats it most well-liked throughout an enormous swathe of the Australian continent.
However a brand new discovery means that we might have misinterpreted the chicken.
Paleontologists have uncovered a near-complete, articulated Genyornis newtoni cranium. It is solely the second cranium we have ever discovered for the species. The primary was used for that 1913 species description, and it was in, to not be impolite about it, completely horrible situation.
So now, for the primary time, we’re really getting a superb have a look at the animal’s noggin – and what a spectacular noggin it was. The fossil reveals that Genyornis would have actually stood out in a crowd, wanting very completely different from different carefully associated birds.
It had an enormous braincase, giant jaws, and a triangular bony crest known as a casque on its cranium. In truth, some options of Genyornis newtoni’s cranium have been constant, not with its closest family members, however with early lineages of waterfowl diverging on the time.
Its beak seemed much like that of birds we see round us in the present day, such because the Australian magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata).
“Genyornis newtoni had a tall and mobile upper jaw like that of a parrot but shaped like a goose, a wide gape, strong bite force, and the ability to crush soft plants and fruit on the roof of their mouth,” says paleontologist Phoebe McInerney of Flinders College in Australia.
“The exact relationships of Genyornis within this group have been complicated to unravel, however, with this new skull we have started to piece together the puzzle which shows, simply put, this species to be a giant goose.”
The researchers carried out scans of the fossil, and have been capable of create an in depth three-dimensional reconstruction. This reconstruction allowed for comparability with the skulls of different, residing birds, to learn the way the top of Genyornis would have functioned, and what it might have seemed like, as soon as extra modestly clothed in flesh, pores and skin, and feathers.
“The form of a bone, and structures on it, are partly related to the soft tissues that interact with them, such as muscles and ligaments, and their attachment sites or passages,” says paleontologist Jacob Blokland of Flinders College.
“Using modern birds as comparatives, we are able to put flesh back on the fossils and bring them back to life.”
This appears to have clinched it. The large chicken had a number of variations linked to aquatic habitats.
The construction of its ear was such that the canal would have been protected towards water when Genyornis submerged its head, and the construction of its beak provided the identical safety for its throat. The form of the beak looks like it could even have been adept at greedy and tearing aquatic crops.
If so, it might assist clarify why Genyornis went extinct, because the freshwater habitats it could have thrived in have since grow to be salty, dramatically altering the ecosystem.
We’ll most likely solely be taught extra by additional shut evaluation and hopefully discovering extra fossils, but it surely’s unbelievable to lastly be taught the true identification of this outstanding species.
Simply think about it. It is early daybreak within the grassy swamp. A mist rolls throughout the panorama. As the primary rays of daylight spike over the horizon, life begins to stir. And, from the opposite facet of the water, the birds begin to name.
“HONK,” trumpets Genyornis. “HONK. HOOOOONK.”
Magnificent.
The analysis has been printed in Historic Biology.
