Latest news with #V.iaai
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Just Found The Oldest Modern Bird Buried in the Antarctic Ice
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." 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. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Remarkable Fossil Discovery Hints at Antarctic Origins of All Modern Birds
A near-perfect fossilized skull discovered in Antarctica reveals the bridge between prehistoric and modern birds, a new study has found. The fossil is a specimen of a species called Vegavis iaai, which lived around 69 million years ago – more than 2 million years before the mass extinction that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs. It has a long pointed beak and a brain shape unlike any other Mesozoic birds, which were markedly different from species that would evolve into the class of feathered creatures we see around us today. Ever since Vegavis was described 20 years ago, some paleontologists suspected the genus might be an early member of modern birds, within the order of waterfowl. Others doubted it since modern birds were extremely rare prior to the asteroid impact that triggered the end-Cretaceous extinction. But they were missing what is arguably the most important piece of Vegavis, at least when it comes to taxonomy: a somewhat-intact skull. "Few birds are as likely to start as many arguments among paleontologists as Vegavis," says lead author Christopher Torres, a paleontologist from Ohio University. "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?" Bird fossils can be quite delicate, and few from this time are preserved in such good shape as this one. All other Vegavis specimens found to date have been either skeletons sans head, or just bits of the skull. The researchers suspect the species may have survived the mass extinction because of their Antarctic location, which would have offered a temperate climate with lush vegetation at a time when the rest of the world was quite uninhabitable. "Elsewhere globally, the rapid environmental upheaval characterizing the K–Pg boundary is generally marked by similarly rapid replacement of stem birds by crown birds, followed by diversification of the latter early in the Palaeogene," the authors write. That makes V. iaii the best representative we have for the bridge between prehistoric and modern birds. The researchers used X-ray micro-computed tomography to scan the skull and digitally reconstruct it in three dimensions, revealing details of its braincase, palate, rostrum and mandible, as well as its brain shape. The specimen hints at features consistent with modern waterfowl, but unlike the ducks and geese of today, V. iaai also had a slender, pointed beak and powerful jaw muscles for snapping up fish: features that are more similar to those of diving birds of today like grebes and loons. It has a well-developed salt gland in the nasal region of its beak, a feature that removes sodium chloride from the blood of some marine bird species with diets high in seafood and, consequentially, salt. The rest of the fossil skeleton builds on this picture of V. iaai's aquatic lifestyle, with legs that positioned the feet to propel the bird through the water in pursuit of swimming prey. "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," says paleontologist Patrick O'Connor from Ohio University. "Something very different seems to have been happening in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Antarctica." This research was published in Nature. DNA Confirms Orcas Prey Upon One of Australia's Deadliest Marine Predators 'Beyond Doubt': Proteins in Fossil From Actual Dinosaur, Claim Scientists 'Lost City' Deep Under The Ocean Is Unlike Anything We've Ever Seen Before on Earth
