Fossil of a 1-metre-long Parrot That Lived 19 Million Years Ago Found

In the south of New Zealand, St. It turned out that the bird leg fossil found in the Bathans region in 2008 belonged to a 1 meter tall parrot that lived 19 million years ago.

The results of the examination of the bones were published in the scientific journal Biology Letters.

It is stated that the parrot, which weighs a little more than 7 kilograms, cannot fly and is carnivorous, unlike many birds.

Experts say that this bird weighed 2 times more than kakapo, the largest parrot alive today. There are 144 known kakapoin New Zealand. All of these birds are said to have a name.

Hercules Parrot(Heracles inexpectatus)

Australian Flinders University and NSW Paleontology University experts who conducted the study named this parrot species “Heracles inexpectatus” (Hercules), after its size and strength.

Bones, previously thought to belong to an eagle or a duck, were re-examined earlier this year after being preserved for 11 years.

prof. Trevor Worthy said one of his students accidentally found the parrot’s bones during a research project in the lab.

Professor at the University of NSW Paleontology. Mike Archer told AFP: “The bird’s beak is so big it can smash open anything it wants. With things other than traditional parrot bait; maybe even feeding on other parrots,” he said.

prof. Worthy stated that they did not think it was possible for the animal to be aggressive since it has no enemies in nature.

A 3.6-metre-long moa bone was previously discovered in the same area where the parrot’s leg bones were found.

Millions of years ago, New Zealand was home to the now extinct moas, which can reach up to 3.6 meters in length. Moas, an ostrich-like creature, weighed up to 230 kilograms. Many fossils from the Miocene Age (23 million to 5.3 million years ago) have been found in the region.

prof. “But no one has ever found an extinct giant parrot. We’ve been excavating fossil beds for 20 years,” Worthy said. Every year we discover new birds and animals. “There is no doubt that we will encounter new, surprising species.”

Source: BBC