A team of Argentinian paleontologists has identified three new species of prehistoric birds in the Calingasta Valley, west of San Juan, providing key information about a vanished ecosystem.
The discovery, led by Conicet researchers and published in the journal Historical Biology, allows us to go back seven million years to understand how climate change transformed the landscapes of the region.
An ecosystem that disappeared over time
During the late Miocene, Calingasta was a wet plain, with temporary lagoons, where ducks, flamingos, herons, macaws, and avocets coexisted, along with glyptodonts and large extinct herbivores.
However, over time, the climate became drier, the lagoons disappeared, and the environment was taken over by grasslands, leading to the extinction of these aquatic species.
The three new species of prehistoric birds
The researchers described three completely new species to science:
- Hunucornis huayanen: a diving macaw, similar to a duck, but adapted to subaquatic life. Its name combines “Hunuc”, protector deity of animals according to the Huarpe, with the Huayán people.
- Zqueheanas hebe: a duck related to cauquenes, inhabitant of shallow waters. Its name pays tribute to Hebe de Bonafini, a human rights advocate.
- Palaelodus haroldocontii: an extinct relative of modern flamingos, with a thin, pointed beak, ideal for consuming insects and mollusks. Its name honors the writer Haroldo Conti, who disappeared during the dictatorship.
A discovery that challenges the present
In addition to its paleontological value, scientists emphasize that this discovery allows us to reflect on the impact of climate changes on modern ecosystems.
“This fauna appears just before a major climate change. Analyzing its disappearance helps us understand how current communities could respond to scenarios of increasing aridity”, noted Federico Agnolin, co-author of the study to the CTyS-UNLaM Agency.
Future perspectives
Specialists continue to explore the region of Puchuzum. They are searching for new fossils that will broaden the understanding of environmental transformations that occurred millions of years ago.
