Australia: Scientists discover 25mn-yr-old fossil of extinct eagle species from Lake Pinpa

A team of scientists have discovered an eagle fossil in the South Australian Outback which has been classified as one of the world's earliest raptor species. The team of palaeontologists from Flinders University in Adelaide has released research a report revealing that an eagle fossil was discovered in the year 2016, which is a new species that goes back 25 million years to the late Oligocene period. The report was published in the Historical Biology journal on Monday. 

The Flinders University palaeontologists unearthed dozens of bone fragments from the archaeological site in Lake Pinpa which is a dried Salt Lake in the desert of South Australia. According to the new research, the fossils belonged to the Archaehierax sylvestris, or old forest hawk.  

The characteristics of the new eagle species

The Xinhua website reported that Ellan Mather, the report's primary author informed the new species, Archaehierax sylvestris, had a 15-centimetre foot span which was used to grasp large prey. She went on to say that this bird species was somewhat shorter and leaner than any of the wedge-tailed eagles, yet it was Australia's biggest eagle during that era. At that period, the largest marsupial predators were roughly the size of a small dog or a large cat, therefore Archaehierax was unquestionably in charge.  

Mather further added that the combination of these characteristics implies that Archaehierax was an ambush predator who was nimble but not exceptionally quick. It was among the most powerful land predators of the late Oligocene, swooping down on birds and animals. The scientists claimed that the historic raptor species thrived through swooping on prey like birds, possums, and even koalas. They even informed that the eagle's strong wingspan, broad legs were suitable for hunting and gliding within forests.  

'Exceptional partial skeleton' of the new eagle species

According to BBC, Associate Professor Trevor Worthy stated that as their limited proportions of the bird species at the era, it was "rare to find even one bone from a fossil eagle". He also said that scientists have been studying this system for a long time, this is the most spectacular fossil ever discovered. 

The scientists believed that the bird species which were from the Oligocene period in history used to live in an environment more like a rainforest rather than the dry state around Lake Pinpa. Scientists discovered nearly 63 bones of the fossil which they describe as an "exceptional partial skeleton". 

Mather further revealed that the eagle's remains were most likely swept into the lake when it died and buried in silt as the surrounding environment was a rainforest. She even stated that the Archaehierax fossils allowed the scientists to figure out where it belongs in the eagle family history. It has a variety of characteristics that aren't found in modern hawks and eagles. As per the research, Archaehierax certainly doesn't belong to any of the current genera or groupings. It is appeared to be a separate branch of the eagle family. 

(Image: Unsplash/ Representative Image)