For the First Time, Experts Find Fossils of Ancient Vultures in Australia

KOMPAS.com – New research uncovers fossils bird ancient scavengers.

Fossil vulture Cryptogyps lacertosus (meaning carrion bird strong and hidden), was the first ancient vulture to be found in Australia.

Bird these lived between 500 to 50,000 years ago and are known as ‘Old World’ vultures. Similar species still exist today, although they are no longer found in Australia.

This fossil finding is actually quite interesting. The reason, for more than 100 years, paleontologists think that it is a fossil eagle (Taphaetus lacertosus).

Also read: Frequently Pecking Trees, Why Don’t Woodpeckers Get Brain Injury?

But thanks to the re-study of fossils, it was finally revealed that the fossils were vultures.

Quoted from Science AlertWednesday (20/7/2022) this reclassification also highlights how diverse megafauna and other wildlife in this part of the world was during the Pleistocene period which began about 2.5 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago.

“We compared the fossil to birds of prey from around the world and it became clear that it was neither adapted to a hunter nor an eagle,” said Ellen Mather, a paleontologist from Australia’s Flinder University.

Suspicion was seen from the features of the lower leg bones too backward to support the muscles needed to kill prey.

“When we placed Cryptogyps on the evolutionary tree, it confirmed our suspicion that the fossil bird was a vulture and we are excited to publish this finding,” said Mather.

Also read: This Vulture Species Is On The Threat Of Extinction, What Is The Impact?

The first bones of Cryptogyps lacertosus were actually found in 1901 with the discovery of the first part of the fossil in the form of wing bone fragments. The fossil was found near the Kalamurina Homestead on the Warburton River, South Australia.

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