Fossil Discovery in Brazil Sheds Light on Bird Evolution: Bridging the Gap Between Dinosaurs and Modern Birds

You may have already heard that “the heifers the animals closest to him dinosaurs“, although this is partially true, it took thousands of years of evolution to get to this point, in a process that is still not fully understood. Now, a fossil found here in Brazil could help fill the missing gap.

Birds are animals considered very intelligent, but the evolution of the brain of these creatures is still a mystery. This small fossil, 80 million years old found in the city of Presidente Prudente, inside São Paulo, could help scientists to bridge the gap between Archaeopteryxdinosaurs considered the first birds, and the animals we have now. The study was published in Nature.

What draws attention to this fossil is not only the species, but also its conservation status. AN Sorrow of Navaorni (named in honor of the person who discovered it, the director of the Museum of Marília Paleontologist, William Nava) the region of the skull is well preserved, which is essential for understanding the evolution of the brain of these animals.

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To this day, few fossils of this family have been found preserved. In the case of this specimen, its state of preservation is considered remarkable, not only was the skeleton and skull intact, but they allowed scientists to reconstruct parts of the brain using computed tomography.

Birds became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period

The species belongs to the enatiornithine group, a group that became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period. They are considered to be fundamental to evolution, as they have a brain larger than the brain Archaeopteryx. In addition, they have other similarities with modern birds, such as the lack of teeth and the shape of the skull.

This will help scientists to understand the family tree of birds, because it seems that this animal moves between two periods. “The brain structure of Navaornis is almost exactly intermediate between Archeopteryx and modern birds,” said Guillermo Navalón, co-author of the study, in an interview with Discover Wild.