A giant goose skull from Australia’s megafauna past has been uncovered in South Australia by a group of Flinders University researchers.
The fossilised foul, Genyornis newtoni, roamed Australia’s outback around 45,000 years ago and was believed to be the same height as a full-grown male giraffe, while weighing the same as a baby grand piano.
Researchers say the skull finding, at Lake Callabonna in 2019, is significant because it is in tack, compared to a previously known giga-goose skull found 1913, which was severely crushed.
Flinders University palaeontologist Jacob Blokland reconstructed the prehistoric poultry’s noggin, mapping out the muscles and ligaments of the skull and giving an in-depth view of how the head would have functioned.
“Using modern birds as comparatives, we are able to put flesh back on the fossils and bring them back to life,” Mr Blokland said.
Flinders University palaeontologist and a lead researcher on the discovery, Phoebe McInerney, said testing had allowed scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the giant goose.
“Genyornis newtoni had a tall and mobile upper jaw – like that of a parrot, but shaped like a goose – a wide gape, strong bite force, and the ability to crush soft plants and fruit on the roof of their mouth,” Ms McInerney said.
The giant goose part of Australia’s megafauna history, where species reached sizes that far outweighed their modern counterparts before becoming extinct about 45,000 to 50,000 years ago.
The emu, cassowary and kangaroo are the only surviving Australian megafauna.
Mrs McInerney said the reason for the megafauna extinction is a contentious issue, with many scientists torn about whether environmental factors or human impact led to the species’ demise.
“Many of the megafauna died out from environmental changes far before humans arrived, but their arrival would have led to significant changes.
“So, it could also be a mix of both,” Mrs McInerney said.
While the reason for the giant goose’s extinction is unknown, researchers believe that the vanishing of fresh water bodies in South Australia could’ve been a major contributing factor.
