Scientists Just Found The Oldest Modern Bird Buried in the Antarctic Ice
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For decades, scientists have wondered at the taxonomy of Vegavis iaai—an ancient avian specimen that lived in what is now Antarctica during the late Cretaceous period.
A new study, in which scientists created 3D models of the species' skull, firmly suggests that V. iaai belongs in the waterfowl family and exhibits traits similar to modern loons and grebes.
In comparison to other bird-like fossils discovered during this same geologic period, Antarctica appears to be home to specimens more closely related to modern birds.
The prehistoric origin story of modern birds has always gone something like this: 66 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth, an asteroid between 10 to 15 kilometers wide smacked into what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, and in the resulting chaos, avian dinosaurs survived and eventually gave rise to eagles, chickens, storks, etc... However, recent fossil discoveries—particularly of one waterfowl-like species named Vegavis iaai—complicate this simple narrative.
Intriguingly, scientists first discovered the headless fossilized specimen of V. iaai on an Antarctic island called Vega, which is the northernmost member of the James Ross Island group. But perhaps even more perplexingly, the fossil was 68 million years old—predating the moment when the Chicxulub asteroid drew curtains on the Age of Dinosaurs by at least two million years. However, as the fossil did not have its head, scientists couldn't be sure what bird family was descended from the ancient lineage. Some thought waterfowl were a possibility, while others considered shorebirds as likely candidates.
Fast forward nearly two decades, and another Antarctic expedition uncovered what appeared to be the head of a bird. After an extensive analysis of the skull, scientists now not only suggest that the skull belongs to V. iaai, but also assert that the ancient creature was definitely an ancestor of modern waterfowl—particularly loons and grebes. If correct, this would make V. iaai the oldest known modern bird in the fossil record. The results of the study were published last week in the journal Nature.
'Few birds are as likely to start as many arguments among paleontologists as Vegavis,' Christopher Torres, lead author of the study from the University of the Pacific, said in a press statement. 'This new fossil is going to help resolve a lot of those arguments. Chief among them: where is Vegavis perched in the bird tree of life?'
The skull shape of V. iaai features a long, pointed beak and a brain shape unlike any other bird-like creature discovered from the Mesozoic Era. The skull also points to a few more clues about the life and lineage of this mystery bird. For example, V. iaai had impressive jaw muscles, likely for overcoming water resistance when scooping up fish. This evidence fits nicely with other findings on the torso, which suggested that the creature could propel itself underwater in the pursuit of prey.
While it's been placed in the family of ducks and geese, V. iaai is actually more similar to grebes and loons. Both bird families have feet placed further back on their bodies, making them exceptional divers (but a little clumsy when walking on land).
During the late Cretaceou period, the landmass that is now Antarctica would have been more like a temperate rainforest, capable of supporting all forms of life. And, maybe most importantly, it was relatively removed from the Yucatán Peninsula. The discovery of both of these fossils in Antarctica also suggests that the now-frozen continent could have been a safe haven of sorts—particularly for early modern birds—as the ravages of the end-Cretaceous extinction event impacted the globe.
'Those few places with any substantial fossil record of Late Cretaceous birds, like Madagascar and Argentina, reveal an aviary of bizarre, now-extinct species with teeth and long bony tails, only distantly related to modern birds,' Patrick O'Connor, the senior author of the study from Ohio University, said in a press statement. 'Something very different seems to have been happening in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Antarctica.'
The origin story of modern birds—considered one of the most successful vertebrate species in the planet's history—is far more complicated than we originally thought. And it looks like Antarctica plays a starring role in this 69-million-year-old avian tale.
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