There are seven continents on our planet today, with huge variety of natural wildlife, but today, one continent still has many mysteries that are still waiting to be uncovered – Antarctica. The snowy continent is difficult to access and is now incapsulated in ice, but it wasn’t always the case.
The Late Cretaceous Period
Antarctica used to have a temperate climate during the late Cretaceous period just before the change of eras. Many large dinosaurs ruled over the lands including the Tyrannosaurus rex, which lived in the forests that dotted Antarctica.
The discovery of Vegavis Iaai
Dinosaurs weren’t the only animals to inhabit Antarctica. Researchers have recently uncovered the nearly intact skull of a bird known as Vegavis iaai. What makes this an important find is that if researchers are correct, this is the oldest modern bird that we’ve found.
The Significance of the Skull
The summary behind why the skull is an example of a modern bird is the features it shares in many birds alive today. The skull includes a long beak without any rows of teeth and a similarly deveoped brain to modern birds. This bird could help researchers figure out how birds evolved into what they are today.
Antarctica as a Refuge
At the end of the Mesozoic Era, Early examples of birds may have lived in Antarctica and used it as a shelter from many major extinction events. Antarctica’s distance from the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have played a role in how birds may have survived.
Research Methods
The fossil of Vegavis iaai was found in 2011 and studies on it began. X-ray tomography was used to analyze the details of the skull. This allowed the team to be able to link the skull’s features to many features in modern birds today.
A World Without Ice
Without the large ice sheets that now dominate the landscape of Antarctica, the temperature was around 12 degrees Celsius. Trees and other vegetation covered Antarctica with the help of the high levels of carbon dioxide. This created a sanctuary for modern birds.
The Environment of Vegavis Iaai
The relatively normal conditions that Antarctica provided meant that the evolution of animal species could be supported a great detail, including Vagavis iaai. Other species may have descended from the bird before migrating to different continents.
Vegavis Iaai’s Lifestyle
From examinations, Vegavis iaai was mostly likely an early descendant of modern day waterfowls. The animal was similar to a modern day duck or goose. Vegavis iaai would have swam in the Antarctic waters, preying on fish and other animals.
The End-Cretaceous Extinction
Where non-avian dinosaurs grew extinct after a massive asteroid caused an extinction event, Vegavis iaai managed to survive, adapt, and evolve like few other species on Earth.
Evolutionary Insights
Vegavis iaai being found has implications for how early birds might have evolved after dinosaurs went extinct. The discovery also supports the common theory that early birds developed alongside dinosaurs. With future research, the fossil may fill important gaps in current knowledge about avian evolution.
Antarctica’s Role in Evolution
Antarctica’s slow environmental change could have many other discoveries waiting to be found, but with much of it being trapped in ice, future discovery efforts may be hindered.
Modern Bird Evolution
With the discovery of the intact skull fossil, future research dedicated to Antarctica may prove to be useful in finding out more about which species used the continent as a refuge during many extinction level events.
