[Article déjà publié le 10 octobre 2024]
Some two million before their final disappearance of the surface of the planet, the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous of which were part Tyrannosaurus rex Or Triceratops shared their environment with birds of prey, more commonly known as raptors. This is what a study published on October 9 in the journal highlights Plos One which concerns the discovery of the oldest fossils of birds of prey dated 68 million years.
New birds identified from a single bone
It is in the famous formation of Hell Creek In Montana in the United States that fossils have been discovered. Known to house many of the best known dinosaur fossils, Hell Creek Continued, for a long time, the evidence that raptors have cohabited the last dinosaurs of history.
Unlike their gigantic neighbors whose leftovers can have gigantic sizes, new species of raptors identified have been from a single bone: tarsometotars.
This bone is the junction between the ankle and the animal's “toes”. And it is only from three of these different bones that the researchers were able to uncover and identify three new species of prehistoric raptors, the oldest to date:
- Avisaurus Darwini
- Magnusavis ekalakaensis
- and another representative of the genre Notice still without real name
What did these raptors look like?
We cannot assert 100% what dinosaurs looked like when they dominated the earth, even from particularly complete fossils. Indeed, if we can have an idea of their morphology, it is difficult to know their appearance.
So imagine yourself having to try to know what a bird dating from 68 million years should look like, of which only one bone remains and that the latter is barely larger than that of the human thumb. Difficult, but not impossible.
Everything is just a question of proportion after all. So, as reported Reutersresearchers believe for example that Avisaurus Darwini must have been quite close, in terms of dimensions, of the current pilgrim falcon. Thus, this prehistoric raptor was to be around 60 centimeters long for an estimated wingspan at 1.3 meters. The other Noticehe had to be a little smaller.
But in the absence of other bones, such as skulls in the ideal, it will be complicated, even for the most eminent scientists to be able to really know what these raptors should look like.
However, from this bone, researchers can issue credible assumptions about their predation technique. Indeed, the tarsometatorses found at Hell Creek have many similarities with those of current raptors.
“” “This suggests that they were able to function in a similar way and perhaps occupy an ecology not too different from that which we know today. By raptor, we specifically mean existing birds which mainly use their feet and legs to master or neutralize prey.”Explains Alex Clark, principal author of the study and doctoral student in evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago, in remarks reported by Reuters.
In fact, the prehistoric “raptors” could therefore have used the same techniques as their current representatives. Then melting on small prey and firmly catching them with their greenhouses.
When did the first birds appear?
As we know, current birds descend from dinosaurs. Finally, more precisely, since the genre Have grouping the birds belongs to the clade Dinosauriathe birds are … dinosaurs.
However, as this study shows once again with prehistoric raptors, birds have cohabited with dinosaurs. So when did they appear? The first ancestors of birds date back to the Jurassic, more than 150 million years ago. With in particular Archeopteryxthe best known of feathered dinosaurs who had the capacity to make a beaten flight, but which did not present all the characteristics of the current birds.
Little by little and during the evolution, many species will emerge and the genus Have primitive will diversify until you know a fatal event 66 million years ago. However, unlike terrestrial dinosaurs, the genre will regain more beautiful after this disaster.
In 2022, as reported by the League for Bird Protection (LPO), there were 11,000 species of birds listed on earth. Among them, theInternational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has 560 species of raptors, these “prey dinosaurs” spread over all continents except Antarctica.
Source : Reuters / Physical
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
