Genyornis newtoni (lat.) - a type of fossil birds of the dromornitid family of the order Anseriformes . The specific name is given in honor of the English ornithologist Alfred Newton (1829-1907).
| † Genyornis newtoni |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Rod: | † Genyornis Stirling & Zietz, 1896 |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Genyornis newtoni Stirling & Zietz , 1896 |
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This is the last member of the Dromornithidae family. The species existed in the Pleistocene . Huge birds, 215 cm tall, weighing 200-240 kg, lived in the forests and steppes of Australia. Most likely, were herbivorous. Disappeared about 40,000 years ago. Most likely the cause of extinction is the hunt of people and frequent crushing fires. In favor of the anthropogenic factor of extinction, evidence suggests that 50 thousand years ago Genyornis newtoni still flourished, and already 40 thousand ago they were rare.
In May 2010, archaeologists found in one of the caves in the north of Australia a rock drawing depicting two birds identified as Genyornis newtoni . According to the unanimous opinion of experts, the detail of the image suggests that the prehistoric artist knew very well what a living bird looks like. So, either this figure is the oldest example of rock art in the whole history of mankind (40 thousand years old), or Genyornis newtoni existed much longer than previously thought (this version is supported by the fact that the figures also show Zaglossus hacketti and proktodony , extinct from 3000 to 18 000 years ago).
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