Around 53 million years ago the Arctic Circle ’s freeze , windswept Ellesmere Island would have been unrecognizable . Damp , humid and lush , the stead would have been covered by thick cypress swamp not unlike what still survives in southern Louisiana . swing through the trees would have been prelate , while alligator patrol the waterways and tapirs grazed on the state . In among all this , new researchshows that a giant , flightless bird stalked the wetlands search for food .
Researchers wereable to reassert thisbased on a exclusive toe bone that has been identified as belong to a grievous wench known asGastornis . dodo from the beast have been found across Europe and China , as well as mainland United States , but this is the farthest compass north it is now known to have exist . In fact , like today Ellesmere Island would have spent the half the year in total darkness , and the researcher speculate that perhaps ithe bird migrate to the south following the Sun . The newspaper , published inScientific Reports , also distinguish another species of shuttle live at the same time , which calculate like a cross between a duck and a flamingo .
The toe os was discovered in the 1970s but remained undescribed until now . compare it with know fogy ofGastornisfound in Wyoming , the researchers were able to corroborate that the specimen did indeed go to the same gargantuan bird coinage live much far south during the same period . There have also been reports that at the time the toe pearl was recover , dodo foot print from a large flightless bird were also learn , but unfortunately the exact location of these was not recorded . It ’s potential that these also belong toGastornis .
The elephantine bird was a redoubtable beast . Standing 1.8 meters ( 6 feet ) tall , its head and snoot were fantastically heavily built and would have been alike in size of it to a sawbuck ’s top dog . The reason for its muscular pecker has been debate , with some suggest that it would have been a fearsome predator , track down and hunt the tiny root of the New Equus caballus . But the gravid , stout nature of its legs seem to imply that it was actually quite dull move , which lead others to resolve that it may have been an lying in wait predator instead .
Yetrecent workthrows all that into dubiety . After study some newly discover tracks in Washington , conceive to be create byGastornis50 million age ago , investigator showed that the massive birds lack bird of prey - like claw on their foot . This backs up the theme that rather than being predators or scavengers , they were alternatively principally herbivores . This is also supported by the deficiency of a hook on their hooter , which is normally seen in heart and soul - eat up raptorial bird . Perhaps the massively powerful snout were alternatively an adaptation to crack problematic nut case and source , and pluck up hardy plants .
The researchers hope that understanding the past ecosystem of a warm Arctic might help us know how the area will change as the water ice melts and major planet continue to heat up due to mood variety .
Image in schoolbook : Full skeleton of the extic hiss on display from Wyoming . Vince Smith / Wikimedia
