Paleontologists had been searching for a skull of the giant flightless bird for more than a century.
Paleontologists have made an 'amazing' fossil discovery in Australia that has shed new light on a giant and enigmatic prehistoric goose-like bird.A team from Flinders University in Australia uncovered a nearly complete fossil skull of the 'giga-goose,' Genyornis newtoni—a flightless species that went extinct around 45,000 years ago—a study published in the journal Historical Biology reports.This species was first described in 1896.
'This was an amazing specimen but because it was all in articulation, we couldn't see all sides of each small bone,' McInerney said. 'So, we used the few other skull bones, such as an isolated upper beak, that had been found separately as well to get a more complete look at all aspects of the skull.'The latest study has revealed that the skull features a massive braincase, large upper and lower jaws and an unusual casque on the top of its head.
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