A reconstruction of the face of Genyornis newtoni. (Jacob C. Blokman/Flinders University)
Nature's Science Alert has a story about a large flightless bird from Australia. Genyornis newtoni was first described in 1913. It lived around 45,000 years ago in what is now Australia. G. newtoni stood about 2.25 meters tall (7.4 feet) and weighed around 230 kilograms (510 pounds). New research published in the journal Historical Biology details a newly discovered complete skull.
So now, for the first time, we're actually getting a good look at the animal's noggin – and what a spectacular noggin it was. The fossil reveals that Genyornis would have really stood out in a crowd, looking very different from other closely related birds.
It had a huge braincase, large jaws, and a triangular bony crest called a casque on its skull. In fact, some features of Genyornis newtoni's skull were consistent, not with its closest relatives, but with early lineages of waterfowl diverging at the time.
Its beak looked similar to that of birds we see around us today, such as the Australian magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata).
"Genyornis newtoni had a tall and mobile upper jaw like that of a parrot but shaped like a goose, a wide gape, strong bite force, and the ability to crush soft plants and fruit on the roof of their mouth," says paleontologist Phoebe McInerney of Flinders University in Australia.
