Genyornis
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Genyornis newtoni'' is an extinct species of large, flightless bird that lived in Australia during the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
Epoch until around 50,000 years ago. Over two metres in height, they were likely
herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...
. Many other species of
Australian megafauna The term Australian megafauna refers to the megafauna in Australia (continent), Australia during the Pleistocene, Pleistocene Epoch. Most of these species became extinct during the latter half of the Pleistocene, as part of the broader global L ...
became
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
in Australia around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans. It is the last known member of the extinct flightless bird family Dromornithidae which had been part of the fauna of the Australian continent for over 30 million years. They are not closely related to
ratite Ratites () are a polyphyletic group consisting of all birds within the infraclass Palaeognathae that lack keels and cannot fly. They are mostly large, long-necked, and long-legged, the exception being the kiwi, which is also the only nocturnal ...
s such as
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
s, and their closest living relatives are thought to be
fowl Fowl are birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl ( Galliformes) and the waterfowl ( Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are close evolutionary relatives; toget ...
.


Taxonomy

The species was first described in 1896 by Edward Charles Stirling and A. H. C. Zeitz, the authors giving the epithet ''newtoni'' for the Cambridge professor
Alfred Newton Alfred Newton Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE (11 June 18297 June 1907) was an England, English zoologist and ornithologist. Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907. Among his numerous public ...
. The name of the genus is derived from the ancient Greek ''γένυς'' (''génus'') 'jaw; chin' and ''ὄρνις'' (''órnis'') 'bird', because of the relatively large size of the lower mandible. The specimen is a left
femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...
. It was found at
Lake Callabonna Lake Callabonna is a dry salt lake with little to no vegetation located in the Far North region of South Australia. The lake is situated approximately southwest of Cameron Corner, the junction of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wal ...
in South Australia. The excavation was undertaken and described by Zietz. A description of the excavation was reported in ''
Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...
'' which had also unearthed material recognised as marsupials. Numerous fragments of avian fossils were noticed in the clay surrounding the removal of diprotodont fossils, then largely complete specimens including crucial evidence of the crania emerged from the site. The paper reviewed previously described fossil remains of "struthious /nowiki>ostrich-like">ostrich.html" ;"title="/nowiki>ostrich">/nowiki>ostrich-likebirds in Australia", which had either been assigned to the ancient emus of ''Dromaius'' or the only described species of '' Dromornis'', ''D. australis'' Owen. A letter from George Hurst concerning the discovery of a partial skeleton of the species alerted Stirling to its existence in 1893. The placement of this dromornithid species may be summarised as: Dromornithidae (8 species in 4 genera) * '' Dromornis'' * '' Barawertornis'' * '' Ilbandornis''
Rich Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense taste, flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling **Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated c ...
, 1979 * ''Genyornis'' :*''Genyornis newtoni''
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
& Zietz, 1896


Description

''Genyornis newtoni'' was a medium-sized dromornithid with a robust body, measuring up to tall and weighing around , though body mass estimation may vary based on different methods. While larger than '' Ilbandornis'', it did not attain the height and weight of '' Dromornis stirtoni'' or '' Dromornis planei''. The fossils of the species have been found remaining in articulation, and no other dromornithid species has been discovered in this state. The remains of eggs have also been attributed to this species. Gastroliths belonging to these animals have been found alongside their remains, a feature that has revealed the sometimes shallow site of fossils. Prior to 2024, reconstructions of the skull of ''Genyornis'' were primarily based on those of its closest relatives, due to the heavily damaged nature of the holotype. However, a 2024 study on the skull morphology of ''Genyornis'', incorporating a recently discovered well-preserved skull, found the physical appearance of the head of ''Genyornis'' to be much more different than previously believed. Namely, the bill was found to be much more
goose A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egy ...
-like, with a raised triangular casque. This goose-like bill differed from even other mihirungs, and may have been a specialization for feeding on aquatic vegetation. Other potential adaptations to an aquatic feeding style may have allowed for protection of the ears and throat when submerging their heads in water.


Distribution

This mihirung has been found at sites in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, dating to the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
Epoch. ''Genyornis newtoni'' is the only species of dromornithid known to have existed during the Pleistocene.


Extinction

Two main theories propose a cause for megafauna extinction - human impact and changing climate. A study has been performed in which more than 700 ''Genyornis''
eggshell An eggshell is the outer covering of a hard-shelled egg (biology), egg and of some forms of eggs with soft outer coats. Worm eggs Nematode eggs present a two layered structure: an external vitellin layer made of chitin that confers mechanical ...
fragments were dated. Through this, it was determined that ''Genyornis'' declined and became extinct over a short period—too short for it to be plausibly explained by
climate variability Climate variability includes all the variations in the climate that last longer than individual weather events, whereas the term climate change only refers to those variations that persist for a longer period of time, typically decades or more ...
. The authors considered this to be a very good indication that the entire
mass extinction An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp fall in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. It occ ...
event in Australia was due to human activity, rather than climate change. A 2015 study collected egg shell fragments of ''Genyornis'' from around 200 sites that show burn marks. Analysis of amino acids in the egg shells showed a thermal gradient consistent with the egg being placed on an ember fire. The egg shells were dated to between 53.9 and 43.4 thousand years BP, suggesting that humans were collecting and cooking ''Genyornis'' eggs in the thousands of years before their extinction. A later study suggested that the eggs actually belonged to the
giant malleefowl ''Progura'' is an extinct genus of megapode that was native to Australia. It was described from Plio-Pleistocene deposits at the Darling Downs and Chinchilla, Queensland, Chinchilla in southeastern Queensland by Charles De Vis. Taxonomy Compa ...
, a species of extinct
megapode The megapodes, also known as incubator birds or mound-builders, are stocky, medium-large, chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. Their name literally means "large foot" and is a reference to the heavy leg ...
. A 2022 study examined the protein sequences of these unidentified eggshells and, through phylogenetic analysis, concluded that the lineage that produced these eggs diverged prior to the emergence of megapodes, supporting the previous implication that the eggs in question were produced by ''Genyornis.'' The authors noted that the exploitation of ''Genyornis'' eggs appears to mirror that of earlier human usage of
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
eggs throughout the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
in Northern
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
, Southwestern and
Northern Asia North Asia or Northern Asia () is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographical terms and consists of three federal districts of Russia: Ural, Siberian, and the Far Eastern. North Asia is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to its n ...
, and present-day
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, though they were unable to determine to what extent humans interacted with ''Genyornis''. A 2021 study found that, if ''Genyornis'' eggs were being consumed at similar rates to the eggs of the
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
and the
Australian brushturkey The Australian brushturkey, Australian brush-turkey, or gweela (''Alectura lathami''), also frequently called the bush turkey or scrub turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family (biology), family Megapode, Meg ...
, then ''Genyornis'' would have become extinct at far lower rates of total consumption than these still-extant birds. In May 2010, archaeologists announced the rediscovery of an Aboriginal rock art painting, possibly 40,000 years old, at the Nawarla Gabarnmung
rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...
site in the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
, that they suggested depicts two ''Genyornis'' individuals. In 2011, late survival of ''Genyornis'' in temperate south west Victoria was suggested, based on Aboriginal traditions. A later study suggested that the painting could not be more than 14,000 years old, long after the bird is thought to have gone extinct, and it could not be morphologically distinguished from depictions of other birds. In a 2022 study, fossil evidence suggests that the population of ''Genyornis'' at
Lake Callabonna Lake Callabonna is a dry salt lake with little to no vegetation located in the Far North region of South Australia. The lake is situated approximately southwest of Cameron Corner, the junction of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wal ...
died around 50,000 years ago, as the lake dried up as the climate changed and became drier. The birds recovered from the site seemed to have been particularly prone to
osteomyelitis Osteomyelitis (OM) is the infectious inflammation of bone marrow. Symptoms may include pain in a specific bone with overlying redness, fever, and weakness. The feet, spine, and hips are the most commonly involved bones in adults. The cause is ...
, as a result of getting stuck in the mud of the drying lake bed as the water receded. Eventually, when the lake dried, the population was left without their main source of water and subsequently died out. A 2024 study of the skull morphology of ''Genyornis'' found apparent adaptations to feeding on aquatic plants, making them closely tied to freshwater habitats. A reliance on these habitats may have made the species uniquely vulnerable to the loss of freshwater lakes during the aridification of Australia during the late Pleistocene, potentially leading to its extinction.


References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q132731 Dromornithidae Quaternary birds of Australia Extinct flightless birds Monotypic prehistoric bird genera Pleistocene birds Fossil taxa described in 1896 Species made extinct by human activities Species that are or were threatened by climate change Species that are or were threatened by use as food