LIMA, Peru (AP) — The unusually intact fossilized skull of a giant, bony-toothed sea bird that died millions of years ago was found on Peru's arid southern coast, researchers said Friday. The museum said in a statement that the birds had wingspans of up to 20 feet (6 meters) and may have used the toothlike projections on their beaks to prey on slippery fish and squid. The cranium discovered in Peru is 16 inches long and is believed to be 8 million to 10 million years old, based on the age of the rock bed in which it was found. The formation, a coastal rock bed south of the capital, Lima, is known for yielding fossils of whales, dolphins, turtles and other marine life dating as far back as 14 million years. Read more here: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2009-02-27-peru-fossil_N.htm Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://www.whnt.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-lt-peru-fossil,0,6333225.story Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Screen capture from: http://www.leeuwardercourant.nl/nieuws/video/article4428992.ece/Fossiel_schedel_reuzenvogel_gevonden I just wanted to share. It reminded me a bit of Archaeopteryx Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Wow. If there were birds with teeth a mere ten million years ago, that's some really fast evolution in the Aves. Can we point to any change so enormous and complete among the Mammalia during that time? Sure, the human brain, I guess. But that's soft tissue and soft tissue evolves faster. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Not teeth but tooth-like projections in the beak - big difference. To be honest I'm surprised it's not a common adaptation for birds that feed on slippery prey like fish
Some birds today still have 'teeth' though. But they are much smaller and are not bony. From the article: Some believe they are related to gannets and pelicans while other say they are related to ducks. By the way, Synth, it says it had bony teeth.. which is, I guess, somewhat different from just pointy projections of the beak. A goose: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! http://www.digital-nature-photography.com/nature/voegel/grey-lag-goose-photos.php
The genetic mechanism for the production of teeth is still present in birds - but inactivated by the non-production of the requisite hormone that triggers that genetic mechanism. It is quite plausible that the ancestor of the above-described fossil bird did not have teeth, but that somewhere along the line, the genetic mechanism was re-activated, providing a clear advantage leading again to a toothed bird.
We used to shoot mergansers all the time during duck season: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
