The ultimate survival test that Australia’s Thunder Bird Genyornis newtoni faced just before becoming extinct was revealed by a rare fossil discovery.
Flinders University researchers discovered bone infection in several dromornithid skeletons. They were found in 160 square kilometers of Lake Callabonna fossil reserves, which is located 373 miles (660 km) northeast of Adelaide.
Genyornis, which weighed in at around 5 to 6 times the weight of an emu (230kg), stood approximately 6.5 feet (two meters) tall. But they were not the only ones who had concerns about getting caught in the treacherous waters.
Phoebe McInerney (lead researcher) says it appears that others also suffered from painful diseases. This would have affected mobility and food foraging, she said.
Genyornis, which weighed in at around 5 to 6 times that of an emu (230kg), stood approximately 6.5 feet (two meters) high and was about 507lbs (2230 kg) long. But getting caught in the treacherous water of the lake wasn’t the only worry facing these giant birds
The ultimate survival test for Australia’s Thunder Bird Genyornis newtoni was revealed by a rare fossil discovery. This is just before the bird became extinct.
According to the doctoral candidate, “The signs of infection in fossils are found with four individuals’ chest, legs and feet.”
“They would be more weak and in pain than ever, which makes it harder to find food or water.
“It is rare to find one or more well-preserved fossils that show signs of infection in fossil records.” This gives us a better understanding of their life experiences.
According to the study, osteomyelitis was found in approximately 11 percent of birds.
McInerney explained that she saw frothy bone and woven bone as well large anomalous growths and cavities within fossil remains.
The fact that osteomyelitis affects multiple people suggests that the cause may have been complex.
As a co-author of the study, Associate Professor Lee Arnold has dated salt lake sediments where Genyornis is found. This links them to a severe drought that began around 48,000 years ago.
Thunder Birds and megafauna such as ancient relatives like wombats or kangaroos were facing significant environmental threats at that time.
Flinders University researchers discovered severe bone infections within several dromornithid skeletons. They were found in 160 square kilometers of Lake Callabonna fossil reserves, which is located 373 miles (690 km) northeast of Adelaide.
The continent began to dry and large inland forests disappeared, and the central Australian desert became flat.
As conditions worsened, Associate Professor Trevor Worthy thinks that food resources could have been decreased, putting a lot of stress on animals.
“From our studies with living birds, it is clear that adverse environmental conditions can lead to negative physiological effects,” he stated.
“So, we conclude that Lake Callabonna’s Genyornis population would have struggled through these conditions.
There is no evidence that Genyornis newtoni has survived beyond this point. Its protracted drought and high rates of disease likely contributed to the species’ eventual demise.
Phoebe McInerney, the lead researcher on this study says that some had also suffered from a pain disease. This would have hindered mobility and foraging.
The effects of drought were characterized by high bone infection rates, which made it likely that people with weak bones would be more susceptible to becoming stuck in the deep water and dying.
There is no evidence that Genyornis newtoni has survived beyond this point. Its protracted drought and high rates of disease likely contributed to its eventual demise.
Papers in Palaeontology published the research findings.