Art, Writing, and Learning: The Clerisy Quarter > History, Science, and Interesting Information - The Great Library

Palaeontology yays

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Jubal:
As a sister to the Space Yays thread :)

Post current and exciting news about dinosaurs and bones and stuff here.


A first offering:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28164063


--- Quote ---Fossil of 'largest flying bird' identified

The fossilised remains of the largest flying bird ever found have been identified by scientists.

This creature would have looked like a seagull on steroids - its wingspan was between 6.1 and 7.4m (20-24ft).

The find is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The 25m-year-old fossil was unearthed 30 years ago in South Carolina, but it has taken until now to identify that this is a new species.

It would have been fast and very efficient”

Daniel Ksepka, curator of science at the Bruce Museum in Connecticut, said: "This fossil is remarkable both for the size, which we could only speculate on before the discovery, and for the preservation.

"The skull in particular is exquisite.

"And given the delicate nature of the bones... it is remarkable that the specimen made it to the bottom of the sea, became buried without being destroyed by scavengers, fossilised, and then was discovered before it was eroded or bulldozed away."
--- End quote ---

Pentagathus:
Meh, pretty sure those things are still flying around in Aberdeen.

Tom:
That's crazy :O How would it fly?

Pentagathus:
Flapping its wings.

Jubal:
Not much of an issue for birds 'cos of the whole hollow bone structure thing.

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