The skeleton of an enormous seabird that lived twenty million years ago was discovered in the Ocucaje desert (Peru) by paleontologist Mario Urbina, as announced by the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) in a statement.
The renowned Peruvian paleontologist found a heavy rock block containing the perfectly preserved fossil remains of a bird that would be a new species never before studied, and therefore, still pending identification and naming, according to the same university.
This is the articulated skeleton, without loose bones, of an entire seabird approximately one and a half meters long, similar to the dimensions of a current condor.
It was found in rocks of marine origin in the Ocucaje desert, located in the Peruvian region of Ica, and according to its discoverer, it would be twenty million years old, that is, it would belong to the geological period of the beginning of the Miocene.
“It’s a gem, as it is in an exceptional state of preservation. For me it is one of the most beautiful in the world, as there are no fossil remains of another bird as well preserved as this one,” said Urbina, researcher at the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology of the UNMSM Museum of Natural History.
Regarding its physical characteristics, Urbina commented that this prehistoric bird has a thick skull far superior to that of current birds, which would indicate that it is a new species.
“The skull of a normal bird is similar in thickness to an eggshell. I think it’s going to be a new species because I don’t know of birds that have that skull thickness,” Urbina pointed out.
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Another striking feature is its elongated beak, about thirty to forty centimeters long, which provides some clues about its lifestyle, since this area of its body, according to Urbina, is linked to the species’ feeding.
“This species would be associated with the marine environment. Due to the shape of the elongated beak, similar to a sword, it can be deduced that it fed on fish, spearing or impaling its prey,” he added.
Also, the wing bones are light, typical of a gliding flight animal similar to that of albatrosses.
“With this type of wings, they don’t expend too much energy to fly and, generally, birds with this type of adaptations can fly out to sea, sometimes for several days or weeks covering great distances, precisely, because of the wingspan”, he said.
Regarding the name of this species, the paleontologist expressed his interest in it being Irma Franklin, as a recognition of the ornithologist and professor at the Faculty of Biological Sciences of UNMSM, the oldest university in America.
The educational center specified that the discovery of the bird occurred two years ago, but in the coming days Urbina and his work team will carry out the recovery of the remains, which are in a rock block weighing around 300 kilos.
Following this, it will be moved to the Natural History Museum for a detailed study of the fossils, although without completely extracting them from the rock.
“If you want to study a bird, the most appropriate thing is to extract the bones in three dimensions, but I am going to do it in only two, so as not to destroy a work of art of nature, leaving the fossil in its matrix (the rock) because it is a fabulous exhibit piece,” Urbina stated.
