PRESS RELEASE - Fossil of giant, bony-toothed bird from Chile sets new record for wingspan

drubilar@mnhn.clDEERFIELD, IL  (May, 2010) – A newly discovered skeleton of an ancient seabird from northern Chile provides evidence that giant birds were soaring the skies there 5-10 million years ago. The wing bones of the animal exceed those of all other birds in length; its wingspan would have been at least 5.2 m (17 ft.). This is the largest safely established wingspan for a bird. Other, larger estimates for fossil birds have been based on much less secure evidence.
The new bird belongs to a group known as pelagornithids, informally referred to as bony-toothed birds. They are characterized by their long, slender beaks that bear many spiny, tooth-like projections. Such 'teeth' likely would have been used to capture slippery prey in the open ocean, such as fish and squid.
“Bird watching in Chile would be thrilling if birds with more than five meter wingspans and huge pseudoteeth were still alive,” said Dr. Gerald Mayr of the Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg in Germany, lead author on the study.
Fossils of bony-toothed birds are found on all continents, but such remains are usually fragmentary. This is because most birds have fragile bones that often do not survive the fossilization process. Only a single partial skeleton of a bony-toothed bird was known prior to discovery of the new Chilean specimen, and it is badly crushed. The new specimen, which is 70% complete and uncrushed, provides important new information about the size and anatomy of these strange birds. It is the largest bony-toothed bird discovered so far. It also represents a new species named after its country of origin: Pelagornis chilensis.
“Although these animals would have looked like creatures from Jurassic Park, they are true birds, and their last representatives may have coexisted with the earliest humans in North Africa,” said Mayr.
A life-size reconstruction of the skeleton will be on exhibition in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Knowledge of the maximum size that can be reached by a flying bird is important for understanding the physics behind how birds fly. This new fossil may therefore help scientists better appreciate physical and anatomical constraints in very large birds.
“This specimen greatly improves our knowledge of the appearance of one of the most spectacular and fascinating animals that crossed the skies,” said the study’s co-author, Dr. David Rubilar of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile.





###
ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Founded in 1940 by thirty-four paleontologists, the Society now has more than 2,400 members representing professionals, students, artists, preparators, and others interested in vertebrate paleontology. It is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, with the object of advancing the science of vertebrate paleontology.
The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (JVP) is the leading journal of professional vertebrate paleontology and the flagship publication of the Society. It was founded in 1980 by Dr. Jiri Zidek and publishes contributions on all aspects of vertebrate paleontology.
Click here for complimentary access to the full article.
The article appears in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5) published by Taylor and Francis.
Citation: Mayr, Gerald and David Rubilar. 2010. Osteology of a new giant bony-toothed bird from the Miocene of Chile, with a revision of the taxonomy of Neogene Pelagornithidae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Volume 30, No. 5. [Featured Article]
Journal Web site: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: http://www.vertpaleo.org
AUTHOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Gerald Mayr
Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg
Sektion Ornithologie
Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Gerald.Mayr@senckenberg.de
Tel: +49 69 75421348
Dr. David Rubilar
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural
Área Paleontología
Casilla 787, Santiago, Chile
drubilar@mnhn.cl
Tel: 56 2 680 4651
OTHER EXPERTS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE STUDY 
Dr. Stig Walsh, Edinburgh Natural History Museum: S.Walsh@nms.ac.uk
Dr. Cécile Mourer-Chauviré, Lyon University: Cecile.Mourer@univ-lyon1.fr
Dr. Trevor Worthy, University of Adelaide: t.worthy@unsw.edu.au
Dr. Paul Scofield, University of Canterbury: pscofield@canterburymuseum.com
Dr. Estelle Bourdon, American Museum of Natural History: ebourdon@amnh.org
IMAGES
Image 1: Preserved bones of Pelagornis chilensis laid out in life position as if viewed from above while flying. Photo by S. Tränkner, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
Image 2: Skull of Pelagornis chilensis as viewed from the left side (with tip of the beak to the left). Photo by S. Tränkner, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
Image 3: Artist’s perception of Pelagornis chilensis in life. Artwork by Carlos Anzures.
Image 4: Skeletal and artistic reconstruction of Pelagornis chilensis in flight. Artwork by Carlos Anzures.
Image 5: Skeletal and silhouette reconstruction of Pelagornis chilensis in flight as viewed from the left side. Artwork by Carlos Anzures.
Image 6: Skeletal and silhouette reconstruction of Pelagornis chilensis in flight as viewed from above. Artwork by Carlos Anzures.
Image 7: Skeletal and silhouette reconstruction of standing Pelagornis chilensis as viewed from the left side. Artwork by Carlos Anzures.