Today’s settled science topic: the demon ducks of doom
Tom KirkmanIndependent Project Manager
Today’s Settled Science Topic is …
“The Demon Ducks of Doom”.
I swear I am not making this up.
< exasperated glare at those who get my serious posts confused with my absurdist surreal satire posts >
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” ‘Demon ducks of doom’ laid huge prehistoric eggs “
“Which animal was the mother of giant prehistoric eggs in Australia?
A new study shows it could only be the “demon ducks of doom”.
A unique duck-like line of megafauna known as the “demon ducks of doom” were the rightful mothers of giant prehistoric eggs in Australia, according to a new study that resolves a decades-old debate.
● Imagine sharing your neighborhood with a 2-meter tall, 200 kg bird (6.5 feet, 400 pounds) with a massive beak.
This was the case for Australia’s first human inhabitants some 65,000 years ago.
There, our ancestors lived alongside the last species of a now extinct duck-like bird family; Genyornis newtoni, last of the “demon ducks of doom.”
The flightless bird laid eggs the size of cantaloupes, seemingly to the delight of ancient humans, who most likely harvested and enjoyed them as an important protein source, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
The large eggs have been at the center of controversy since researchers first discovered the 50,000-year-old eggshell fragments 40 years ago.
Until recently, it was not known whether the eggs actually belonged to the “demon-duck” family, more formally known as dromornithids. …”