Shocking truth about the first water bird on Earth

An ancient bird that swam in the warmer waters of Antarctica 69 million years ago may have been the first known waterbird on Earth.

Accordingly, paleontologist Christopher Torres of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California found a nearly complete fossil skull in the rocks on the Vega Peninsula, Antarctica. Photo: @ GQ.

This 69-million-year-old fossil skull belongs to Vegavis iaai, an ancient bird. Photo: @ Marine Madness.

The fossil was encased in such hard rock that it took excavators hundreds of hours to chip away at the surrounding outer layer before finding the precious details inside. Photo: @ Scuba Diving Magazine.

Vegavis iaai, lived during the late Cretaceous, when Tyrannosaurus rex ruled North America until a large asteroid hit Earth, killing the dinosaurs, but the bird may have survived the mass extinction event. Photo: @ Smithsonian Magazine.

The fossilized skull of the Vegavis iaai bird, dated to between 68.4 and 69.2 million years old, includes a toothless beak and a small upper jaw. Photo: @DivePhotoGuide.

The bird's skull was also large, with the optic lobe (the brain structure that analyzes visual information) shifted downward, sharing many characteristics with modern waterfowl. Photo: @ Owlcation.

This was a key evolutionary change that gave Vegavis iaai an advantage in navigation and hunting, providing more sensitive vision and better motor coordination. Photo: @ Bird Protection Quebec.

At the same time, using 3D reconstruction technology, scientists have shown that this bird has a long, narrow beak with strong jaw muscles, very similar to modern diving birds used to catch fish. Photo: @ Deep Sea News.

The team believes that Vegavis iaai may have been a hunter-gatherer, diving for fish in the Antarctic waters during the Cretaceous period, and it may be the first waterbird ever found on Earth. Photo: @Hakai Magazine.

Dear Readers, please watch the video : Top 10 Most Dangerous Marine Creatures on the Planet. Video source: @Under the Canopy.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/soc-nang-su-that-ve-loai-chim-nuoc-dau-tien-tren-trai-dat-post1543866.html