Genyornis
Encyclopedia
Genyornis was a monotypic
genus
of large, flightless bird
that lived in Australia
until 50±5 thousand years ago. Many species
became extinct
in Australia around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans.
It is not clear to what degree Dromornithidae
were carnivore
s. The massive, crushing beaks of at least of some species suggest that they were a combination of predators and scavenger
s, much like today's hyena
s. Their closest living relatives are waterfowl
.
A study has been performed in which more than 700 Genyornis eggshell
fragments were dated. Through this, it was determined that Genyornis declined and became extinct over a short period of time—too short for it to be plausibly explained by climate change
. The authors considered this to be a very good indication that the entire mass extinction event in Australia was due to human activity, rather than climate change.
In May 2010, archaeologists announced the rediscovery of an Aboriginal rock art painting, possibly 40,000 years old, at the Nawarla Gabarnmung rock art
site in the Northern Territory
, that depicts two of the birds in detail.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of large, flightless bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
that lived in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
until 50±5 thousand years ago. Many species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
became extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
in Australia around that time, coinciding with the arrival of humans.
It is not clear to what degree Dromornithidae
Dromornithidae
Dromornithidae — the dromornithids — were a family of large, flightless Australian birds of the Oligocene through Pleistocene epochs. All are now extinct. They were long classified in the order Struthioniformes, but are now usually classified as a family of Anseriformes1...
were carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s. The massive, crushing beaks of at least of some species suggest that they were a combination of predators and scavenger
Scavenger
Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
s, much like today's hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
s. Their closest living relatives are waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
.
A study has been performed in which more than 700 Genyornis eggshell
Eggshell
An eggshell is the outer covering of a hard-shelled egg and of some forms of eggs with soft outer coats.- Insect eggs :Insects and other arthropods lay a variety of styles and shapes of eggs. Some have gelatinous or skin-like coverings, others have hard eggshells. Softer shells are mostly protein....
fragments were dated. Through this, it was determined that Genyornis declined and became extinct over a short period of time—too short for it to be plausibly explained by climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. The authors considered this to be a very good indication that the entire mass extinction event in Australia was due to human activity, rather than climate change.
In May 2010, archaeologists announced the rediscovery of an Aboriginal rock art painting, possibly 40,000 years old, at the Nawarla Gabarnmung rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
site in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, that depicts two of the birds in detail.