Vegavis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| Vegavis iaai Clarke et al., 2005 |
Vegavis is a recently discovered genus of extinct birds that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in Antarctica, some 66-68 mya. It belonged to the order Anseriformes. Among modern birds, Vegavis is most closely related to ducks and geese, but it is not considered to be a direct ancestor of them.
The discovery of the type species, Vegavis iaai, has been hailed as the first proof that relatives of modern birds lived alongside dinosaurs.
The Vegavis fossil (MLP 93-I-3-1) was found in the Cape Lamb deposits of Vega Island, Antarctica, in 1992, but was only described as a new species in 2005 because it consists of the very delicate remains of one bird embedded in a concretion which had to be meticulously prepared for study. CT scans were utilized to gain a clearer picture of the bone structure without running danger of damaging or destroying the bones.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Clarke, J. A.; Tambussi, C. P.; Noriega, J. I.; Erickson, G. M. & Ketcham, R. A. (2005): Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous. Nature 433: 305-308. DOI:10.1038/nature03150 PDF fulltext Supporting information
 |
This prehistoric bird article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
