Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Near Rzeszów discovered an unknown species of bird before 29 million years ago - Science in Poland (PAP)

new species of bird before 29 million years discovered near Rzeszów the local passion for paleontology. Description findings, developed by Polish scientists, just appeared in the prestigious journal “Journal of Ornithology.”

Resoviaornis jamrozi is a newly discovered species of bird wróblowego (Passeriformes ), who lived in the early Oligocene.

“The name of our specimen ( Resoviaornis jamrozi ) is derived from the name of the city, near which it was found. Rzeszow in Latin is Resovia , a bird in Greek is ornis and the name of the finder – Albina Jamróz “- said Prof. PAP. Zbigniew M. Bochenski from the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, one of the authors of the publication of the findings.

team that took care of a new species, were also Assoc. Teresa Thomas and Christopher M. Wertz of the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals and Ewa paleozoology ?widnicka from the Department of the University of Wroclaw.

Fossil discovered a passion for paleontology Rzeszów – Albin Jamróz. Specimens from the collection, which consists of mainly fish and plant fossils from the Oligocene of the Carpathians, were used in the past to write a few theses at the Faculty of Biology, University of Rzeszów.

“bird remains found on the shore of a small Brook, who podmywa? menilite shale outcrop – accretions before tens of millions of years. This finding is the crowning discovery of my life “- said Jamróz.

According to Dr. Boche?skiego Resoviaornis jamrozi , lived about 29 million years ago. “It was the size of today’s tits Modra. Beak bird indicates that feed on insects and fruit. He had a pretty long legs and probably most of the time spent on the ground or among the branches, and not in the air “- he described the scientist.

Due to the fact that the fossil discovered very different from today’s passerine birds, was placed in a specially designed for the new type.

Bird, the researchers reported, was drowned in the ocean, covering tens of millions of years ago, the area of ??today’s south-eastern Polish. There are not preserved imprints of his feathers. Therefore, it is not known exactly how it appeared.

As the researchers note, Resoviaornis jamrozi is the third coming from the Oligocene previously described wróblowego bird species in the world and one of the oldest passerine birds in general. This is the fifth specimen Oligocene fossil bird described so far from today’s Polish.

“Our discovery brings valuable information about the early stage of the evolution of this group of birds. Currently birds passerines are the largest group of birds – of about 10 thousand. today known species of birds, more than half (about 5400) it is the birds passerines “- adds Dr. Bochenski.

scientific publication is available for free on-line at Springer, through the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which for several years, this option pays for all the work written by the Poles.

PAP – Science and Scholarship in Poland, Szymon Zdzieb?owski

ssz / agt /

No comments:

Post a Comment