SCIENTISTS have unearthed ancient fossilized footprints of birds in Australia.
The findings, dating back more than 100 million years, represent the oldest known evidence of birds in the southern hemisphere.
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Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the new study was conducted by Emory University in Atlanta.
It confirms that early birds made it to southern polar environments 120 million years ago.
Cretaceous bird fossils, like the one uncovered, are often found in northern continents but are extremely rare in the south.
Because of this, paleontologists in the past have struggled to understand the distribution of early birds.
However, the 27 individual footprints unearthed in Victoria, Australia, could help them with this challenge.
The fossils come in varying sizes and shapes, which indicates the presence of several different types of birds.
This includes some of the largest known birds from the Cretaceous Period.
Researchers posit that the birds might have been drawn to the area seasonally, perhaps as part of a migratory route.
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The findings strongly suggest that the early birds were more abundant in southern regions than we once thought.
The authors, led by Professor Anthony Martin said: “We are very excited to document that a variety of birds were living in polar Australia during the Early Cretaceous Period.
“But we also hope our trace fossil discovery inspires other researchers to look for and find more Early Cretaceous bird tracks elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Earlier this year, researchers uncovered fossils in Australia that belonged to a species of extinct giant eagles.
The huge birds resembled the fictional giant eagles in The Lord of the Rings.
The fossils of the newfound species, dubbed Gaff’s powerful eagle or Dynatoaetus gaffae, were found between 1959 and 2021.
Researchers unearthed the bones in a 56-foot-deep vertical cave in the state of South Australia.
