Research
New species of ground-dwelling bird, the largest of its kind, identified in same cave as Homo floresiensis
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- A leg bone from the Liang Bua cave on Flores Island, dated to 190,000–120,000 years ago, was identified as a new species of ground-dwelling bird.
- The bone was found in 2009 and initially set aside as a bird bone, overlooked for years.
- The species is described as the largest of its kind, and it comes from the same cave where Homo floresiensis was found.
Why it matters
The find adds to the fossil record of Flores Island and shows that bird remains in Liang Bua were overlooked, which may affect how other fossil collections are reviewed.
- #paleontology
- #fossils
- #ornithology
- #flores
- #liang-bua
In 2009, researchers working in the Liang Bua cave on Flores Island came across a leg bone. The 190,000–120,000-year-old fossil was identified as a bird bone and set aside. Like many bird bones before it, it was overlooked and left to collect dust.
Timeline
New species of ground-dwelling bird reported as identified from Liang Bua cave
Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology
New species of ground-dwelling bird, the largest of its kind, identified in same cave as Homo floresiensis