Paleontologists have discovered the fossil of one of the oldest eagle species in the world in the remote desert of southern Australia.
In a report on September 27, a research team from Flinders University stated that the skeleton, dated to the Miocene epoch around 25 million years ago, belongs to a new species named Archaehierax sylvestris.
“It is smaller and slightly slimmer than today’s sharp-tailed eagles, but it was the largest eagle known in Australia during this time. Its wingspan of nearly 15 cm allowed it to hunt large marsupials like prehistoric koalas that were the size of a dog,” explained Dr. Ellen Mather from Flinders University, the lead author of the study.
Reconstruction of the Archaehierax sylvestris eagle and its Miocene habitat. (Photo: Jacob Blokland)
The rare fossil of Archaehierax sylvestris is remarkably well-preserved with 63 bone fragments, making it one of the most complete prehistoric eagle specimens in the world. This allowed researchers to determine the position of the creature on the evolutionary tree.
“It has a range of features that do not resemble any modern eagle or hawk. Archaehierax sylvestris appears to be a unique branch in the evolutionary tree,” Mather explained.
The fossilized bones indicate that the wings of Archaehierax were relatively short compared to its body size, allowing it to maneuver through trees while hunting in forests. Meanwhile, its long legs gave the creature a tall appearance. The combination of these features suggests that Archaehierax was quite agile and could have been an ambush predator. It was a top predator in its ecosystem.
Fossil discovery site. (Photo: Flinders University)
The research team is unsure why and when this eagle species went extinct. Changes in habitat may have been a contributing factor. The fossil site, located near Lake Pinpa in South Australia, is now very arid and desolate. However, it was very different during the Miocene with lush landscapes covered in forests and greenery.
This discovery, published in the journal Historical Biology, provides deeper insights into the long evolutionary history of raptor species in Australia.
