Dinosaurs were wiped off from the face of planet Earth after an asteroid collision nearly 66 million years ago. Despite the devastating effects of the asteroid collision, which included wildfires, acid rain, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and killing more than half of the wildlife population, many birds survived.
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A recent study has shed light on what helped these birds survive the catastrophic event. Published in Science Advances earlier in July the study was presented online earlier this week at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual conference. Research has found how being a “birdbrain” meant having a special survival shield millions of years ago, contrary to modern-day when the word means being forgetful.
Led by The University of Texas at Austin the researchers analysed a newly discovered bird fossil and found that a unique brain shape may hold the key to the ancestors of living birds who survived the mass extinction that obliterated all other known dinosaurs. Scientists studied a fossil, about 70 million-years-old with a nearly complete skull. The complete structure of the skull was as it is a rare occurrence in the fossil record and it further allowed the scientists to compare the ancient bird to birds alive today. The study found that the ancient bird had bigger forebrains that mark the front region of the brain.
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The study mentions that the studied fossil is a specimen of a bird called Ichthyornis, which went extinct at the same time as other non-avian dinosaurs. Ichthyornis was mostly found in present-day Kansas, the United States, during the late Cretaceous Period and has a blend of avian and non-avian dinosaur-like features including jaws full of teeth but tipped with a beak.
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Speaking to Live Science, lead investigator Christopher Torres, who conducted the research and is a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Ohio University said that it is likely that larger brains played a role in birds’ survival, as the forebrain is responsible for several functions. Torres added that it is likely to do with behavioural plasticity since the birds with bigger forebrains could probably modify their own behavior quickly enough to keep up with how quickly their environment was changing.
Tags: #birdbrain, #birds, #brains, #earth, #environment, #forebrain, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #Ichthyornis, #nature, #planet, #wildfires, #wildlife
