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New Species Of Gigantic Bony Toothed Bird From Chile


Boesse

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Read it here!

The featured article in the September issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology is about a new beautiful skeleton of a new species of bony toothed bird, Pelagornis chilensis, which boasted a 5+ meter wingspan, and bony "pseudoteeth".

The unusually complete nature of this specimen meant that the first accurate size estimates could be made, as well as a complete revision of the family pelagornithidae; previous discoveries consisted almost entirely of scraps of bones.

Bobby

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"...70% complete and uncrushed..."; this is a fantastic find!

The only route to untangling the avian taxonomic mess is with the discovery of more complete specimens. Dr. Mayr is the lead author, and I am sure that he has done a superb job; he is not prone to speculation based on facts not in evidence.

Oh, happy days!

post-423-098753900 1284588743_thumb.jpg

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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And you think you're happy - I just started a paper on my pelagornithid material a month ago; the publication of this paper couldn't be any timelier.

Bobby

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i'm happy cuz ya'll are happy! :)

that really is a pretty cool find. now we gots to get links somehow to some big ole pictures to scope it out better with...

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the pdf is available for free download.

i'm happy cuz ya'll are happy! :)

that really is a pretty cool find. now we gots to get links somehow to some big ole pictures to scope it out better with...

---Wie Wasser schleift den Stein, wir steigen und fallen---

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the pdf is available for free download.

Thanks! I'd have missed that, and the figured tibiotarsus in the PDF gets me a step closer to IDing this piece from Shark Tooth Hill:

post-423-072334500 1284594376_thumb.jpg

post-423-043100300 1284594410_thumb.jpg

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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it no is for me working and i'm flusterated :(

Down below the illustrations, look for this line: Click here for complimentary access to the full article.

Do so, and select Issue 5 01 Sep 2010

Under "Featured Article", select Full Text PDF

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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gah was just about to post this article! you beat me to it! pretty cool looking critter eh?

-emily

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~ E. B. White

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Truly an awesome find an a pity at the same time, that they do not exist anymore...

but thats the excitment, being able to discover a new species of bird, its also part of the excitment of fossil hunting, remembering that these remains are from millions of years ago from an animal that does not exsist today :), its like a picture taken of some sort of amazing animal

Edited by trilobite guy

-Shamus

The Ordovician enthusiast.

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Very cool. Thanks for sharing that info with us.

In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory.

Alfred North Whithead

'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!'

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its like a picture taken of some sort of amazing animal

These are very nice words, I will keep them in mind! However, sometimes I really wish I could sit in a time machine and go back and take some real footage, I am sure anyone of you knows that feeling. Finding the fossils though, the awe in thinking that the piece survived for many million years is worth very much as well!

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To be honest - remains like this are more incredible than a picture of a long forgotten animal - it's easy to forget what these fossils are at there most fundamental - these are actual pieces of what used to be a living, breathing, killing animal - in this case, a really, really, really terrifyingly large bird. Bobby

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