Extinct ostrich egg found in Australia
On King Island off the Australian coast, scientists have discovered an extinct dwarf emu egg in a sand dune. The egg is perfectly preserved, which made it possible for researchers to study it in more detail, writes Biology Letters .
Extinct ostrich egg found in Australia
The find was well preserved both outside and inside, which gave researchers the opportunity to study the embryo of an extinct bird species and compare the data with information on other species. There were several species of dwarf emu on Earth – they all lived on small islands near the Australian continent. Soon after the arrival of white colonists in Australia, these species became extinct. Depletion of food resources is considered the main reason.
Examination of the egg showed that its size was similar to that of other dwarf emu species found in Australia. At the same time, the egg was very large in relation to the size of the birds themselves, which makes it possible for the embryo to remain under the protection of the shell for a much longer period. Such chicks are born much more developed in comparison with chicks laying small eggs of birds. The egg's impressive size also helped keep it warm during the cooler nights that are common in this climatic zone, scientists say.
Earlier it became known that ornithologists, examining the island of Borneo, found an extremely rare bird – the Bornean subspecies of the Malay owl. The birds live in the hard-to-reach forests of Mount Kinabalu.
