Paleontologists have discovered ancient bird fossils in a cave in New Zealand
In New Zealand, paleontologists have discovered a unique burial site about 1 million years old, which reveals the appearance of the ecosystem of the islands before the appearance of humans on them. This was reported on June 23 by Science Daily magazine.
Researchers from Australia and New Zealand conducted excavations in a cave near Waitomo on the North Island. The remains of 12 species of birds and four species of frogs were found in the sediments. Among the finds is a previously unknown ancestor of the famous kakapo parrot, named Strigops insulaborealis.
Trevor Worthy, lead author of the study and associate professor at Flinders University
This is a newly discovered avifauna in New Zealand, which was displaced by the one that humans encountered a million years later. This remarkable find suggests that our ancient forests were once home to a diverse group of birds that did not survive the next 1 million years.
Analysis of the bones of Strigops insulaborealis showed that this species had weaker legs than the modern kakapo. Scientists suggest that the ancient ancestor spent less time on earth and probably retained the ability to fly, while the current kakapo is the only flightless parrot in the world.
The exact age of the finds was determined thanks to a "geological sandwich": the remains were located between two layers of volcanic ash. The lower layer was formed about 1.55 million years ago, and the upper layer was formed as a result of a catastrophic eruption about 1 million years ago.
Paul Schofield, co-author of the paper and Senior Curator of Natural History at the Canterbury Museum
These extinctions were caused by relatively rapid climate changes and catastrophic volcanic eruptions.
Experts estimate that between 33% and 50% of fauna species disappeared during the million years preceding the arrival of humans in New Zealand. Previously, it was believed that the main changes in the archipelago's ecosystem began about 750 years ago with the beginning of human exploration. According to the publication, new data proves that natural disasters and supervolcanoes began to form the unique appearance of local nature long before anthropogenic impact.
On May 15, Popular Science magazine reported the discovery of a new species of snake, Calamaria incredibilis, in southern China. According to the publication, Calamaria incredibilis belong to the reed family and can use a tail to mimic a second head. According to scientists, the snake is mostly nocturnal, has brown scales with seven dark stripes and feeds on insect larvae and earthworms.
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