On 12/02/2025 09:03, John Harshman wrote:
On 2/6/25 8:08 AM, RonO wrote:
https://www.science.org/content/article/ancestor-ducks-and-geese-
paddled-and-dove-alongside-dinosaurs-antarctica
Some researchers claim to have found fossils of the ancestor or extant
ducks and geese dated to 67 million years ago in Antarctica. The
molecular evidence indicates that the lineage of birds existed for
more than 80 million years, but Anseriformes are supposed to have
branched off from Galliformes around 70 million years. Neoaves is
supposed to have branched off 67 million years ago. It looks like the
latests molecular dating isn't as exaggerated as previous estimates.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07323-1
I think you may be a little confused about the dating. The supposed
Antarctic Cretaceous anseriform would be Vegavis, and its identity has
been strongly questioned. It might in fact be a stem-neornithine. In the study, the oldest fossil used to date Anseriformes was Conflicto, and
that's Paleocene, while Presbyornis and others are younger.
The science.org link reports a recent publication on a Vegavis skull,
which places Vegavis as a (stem?) anseriform.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08390-0
--
alias Ernest Major
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