Australian scientists reveal the true 'goose-like' face of a two-metre-tall Thunderbird after 128 years

Australian scientists are thrilled. About 128 years after the Giant Thunderbird was first described, they finally know what its head looked like. And imagine what? The prehistoric giant actually resembles a large goose.

In 1896, researchers described the remains of a new species of giant bird that must have roamed Australia until about 45,000 years ago: Geniornis newtonian. The Thunderbird is said to have weighed about 230 kilograms and was 2 to 2.5 meters high.

Head secret
Although researchers were able to get a good idea of ​​the size and appearance of this bird from fossil remains, it remained unclear for years what this bird's head looked like. J Newtonian It looked exactly. The only Thunderbird skull found in 1913 was so badly damaged that researchers couldn't make chocolate from it. Thus it remained a matter of conjecture about the face J Newtonian. So far. About 128 years after the Thunderbird was first described, researchers discovered a well-preserved Thunderbird skull J Newtonian Found it. This can be read in the magazine Historical biology.

Skull
Researchers discovered the skull during excavations near a dry salt lake – Lake Kalapuna – located in South Australia. The fossilized skull was combined with an almost complete fossilized skeleton J Newtonian is found. This makes researchers certain that the skull must be that of a thunderbird.

distinct
Researchers say the skull is remarkable in many ways. First of all, of course, because we are dealing here with a very large bird. Naturally, it also causes the skull and jaws to swell. But what particularly surprised the researchers was that the skull was completely different from that of quite similar species J Newtonian linked. This is special, because the rest of the body J Newtonian He actually has quite a few similarities to these family members. “For the first time we can see this bird (J Newtonianed.) to give a face,” researcher Trevor Worthy notes enthusiastically. “And this face seems to be very different from the faces of others (who are close to J Newtonian Related, ed.) birds, but somewhat similar to those of the goose.

“Geniornis newtonian “It had a long, mobile upper jaw – like a parrot – but goose-shaped,” adds researcher Phoebe McInerney. Furthermore, the bird could open its beak widely, had a fairly powerful bite, and must have been particularly capable of eating soft plants and fruits.

water
The idea that J Newtonian It was in fact nothing more than a giant prehistoric goose, which is also supported by the discovery that the skull had adapted to life in and near water. The researchers discovered a number of unusual adaptations that must have prevented the development of ears and throat J Newtonian It is filled when the head is under water.

So the skull alludes to J Newtonian This means they spent a lot of time on and around the water. The skull may also help explain why this giant goose-like bird became extinct, the researchers wrote. They point out that many lakes filled with fresh water in South Australia have had to give way to lakes filled with salt water. This may have contributed to the extinction of this giant, goose-like, water-loving species.