90 million year old bird fossils found in the Arctic

By Helen Clark on 2016-12-24 Science


A new prehistoric species of 90 million years old bird had been identified in the Canadian Arctic, media reports said.

John Tarduno, professor and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester and leader of the expedition with his team had unearthed three bird bones: part of the ulna and portions of the humerus, which, in birds, are located in the wings. Along with these bones they found the bones of some vertebrates on Axel Heiberg Island in Nunavut, Canada, said CBC News.

From the bone features, as well as its thickness and proportions, the team’s paleontologist, Julia Clarke of the University of Texas, was able to determine the evolutionary relationships of the new birds as well as characteristics that indicate whether it likely was able to fly or dive.

“The bird would have been a cross between a large seagull and a diving bird like a cormorant, but likely had teeth,” said Tarduno.

From the bone features, as well as its thickness and proportions, the team’s paleontologist, Julia Clarke of the University of Texas, was able to determine the evolutionary relationships of the new birds as well as characteristics that indicate whether it likely was able to fly or dive.

These physiological characteristics were still assumptions, Tarduno emphasized, but he said the bird’s environment gives clear indications as to why the bird fossils were found in this location.

Continued