Rare 25-million-year-old eagle fossil that hunted koalas found in South Australia

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The newly discovered species, Archaehierax sylvestris, is one of the oldest eagle-like raptors in the world, according to a study published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal, Historical Biology. Paleontologists from Flinders University in Adelaide unearthed the fossil in March 2016 at a remote backcountry breeding station during a research trip to Lake Pinpa in South Australia.

Archaehierax is the largest eagle known to have lived in Australia during the Oligocene Period, which dates back approximately 33.9 million to 23 million years, according to the study. It was smaller and thinner than the wedge-tailed eagle, Australia’s largest bird of prey, according to the Western Australian Museum.

With feet almost 15 centimeters (6 inches) long, the eagle would have had the ability to grab large prey. Scientists said he hunted an extinct species of koala, which was roughly the same size as those living today, as well as possums and other animals in the trees, according to the study.

“The largest marsupial predators of the time were about the size of a small dog or a large cat, so Archaehierax certainly ruled the roost,” said Ellen Mather, study author and postdoctoral candidate. at Flinders University, in a statement.

The partial fossil skeleton is made up of 63 bones, making Archaehierax sylvestris one of the best-preserved species found around Lake Pinpa. The completeness of the skeleton allowed researchers to determine its place in the eagle’s family tree, Mather said.

“It shows a range of characteristics unparalleled among modern hawks and eagles,” she said. “It seems to have been his own unique branch of the eagle family.”

Fossil bones reveal that the species’ wings were short for its size, which made them quite agile and allowed them to dodge trees while hunting. Its legs were relatively long, which would have given it considerable reach.

Scientists have not said why or when the species went extinct.

The Australian environment during the Oligocene was very different from today. Lake Pinpa, where the fossil was found, was once a lush ecosystem covered with trees and forests, according to the study. Today it is arid, dry and desolate.

Flinders University paleontologist Warren Handley at an excavation site near Lake Pinpa, South Australia.

Trevor Worthy, associate professor at Flinders University and co-author of the study, said in the statement that it is rare to find even a bone from a fossil eagle. This is likely due to a number of reasons, Mather added, including the fact that birds’ bones can be quite fragile, making them easier to break.

“Having most of the skeleton is pretty exciting, especially considering your age,” Worthy said.

Researchers have made a number of fossil finds in Australia over the years, highlighting the diversity of species that roamed the Earth eons ago.

More recently, scientists have discovered that there was once a species of flying “dragon” that had flown over Australia 105 million years ago. The pterosaur has been described by researchers as a “scary beast” that munched on juvenile dinosaurs. In June, scientists confirmed that the 2007 discovery of a fossilized skeleton in the state of Queensland was Australia’s largest dinosaur. The dinosaur, nicknamed “Cooper”, was about two stories tall and was as long as a basketball court.

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