a Flinders University Paleontologists made a very rare discovery when they found the bones of a late Oligocene bird on a remote cattle farm. It is very rare to find the remains of the bones of a single eagle, but now a complete skeleton has been drawn to the attention of specialists. This animal may be one of the oldest vultures in the world.
The Archaehierax sylvestris The bird named after him was slightly smaller than the wedge-tailed vulture living today, but it was still the largest vulture bird in Australia during this period. “He was able to open his toes by about 15 inches, which meant he was able to grab a lot of loot. The biggest purse predators at that age were smaller dogs or bigger cats, so they are Archaehierax Trevor Worthy explained, A A study published in the Journal of Historical Biology One of the authors. “The fact that the eagle is a top predator is accompanied by the fact that it has always made a little of it, so its fossils are also very rare.”
The site is now a desert but once a lush jungle.
Source: T Worthy, Flinders University
In the Oligocene, the climate in Australia was different from the current climate. While fossils one Dark sandy desert on the shores of a withered lake Dug in the area, during the life of the eagle, a lush forest covered the landscape within the continent. However, the indigenous lifestyle also presents challenges for the flying animal. How can this be avoided Archaehierax Crashing trees while hunting?
The bones reveal that eagles had wings that were short compared to their body size, similar to the wings of vultures that live in the woods today. By contrast, its legs were relatively long and were able to stretch them far enough,” explained Elaine Mather, Head of Research. These traits made it a skilled, if not fast, bird, and researchers believe it can attack its prey from ambush. He was able to hunt opossums, koalas and other animals in the lakeside forest, which was filled with shallow modern cormorants, flamingos and other waterfowl.
The Archaehierax One of the best remains of the site was found, 63 bones, thanks to which it can be established that it belonged to the type of eagle, although researchers say that it is not a direct ancestor of any bird living today.
