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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Remains of fossilized 'giant pelican' found in Peru
2013-03-17
They've been finding fabulous fossils all over the place recently. What's going on?
[An Nahar] The fossilized remains of a giant pelican-like bird dating back some 35 million years have been uncovered in Peru's Ica desert, paleontologists said Friday.

Klaus Honninger, who heads the team that made the find, said the bird resembled a giant pelican that stood more than two meters (6.6 feet) tall dating from the Oligocene epoch.

The Oligocene, part of the Paleogene Period, spanned from 40 million years to 23 million years before present day, and was marked by the extinction of numerous species, a general cooling and increased aridity.

"The fossil clearly retains remnants of skin. It is an extraordinary discovery because no similar specimen has been discovered anywhere else in the world before," Honninger said.

The discovery was made in the coastal desert of the Ica region on March 6. The site is popular among paleontologists for its abundance of whale, shark and penguin fossils.
Posted by:Fred

#8  Peru???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-03-17 19:55  

#7  lol at the Eddy Vedder. Nice
Posted by: Frank G   2013-03-17 12:48  

#6  "Ploffskin, Pluffskin, Pelican jee!
"We think no Birds so happy as we!
"Plumpskin, Ploshkin, Pelican jill!
"We think so then, and we thought so still!"

--Edward Lear, "The Pelican Chorus"
Posted by: Korora   2013-03-17 11:50  

#5  Its a glorified version of a pelican.
Posted by: Eddy Vedder   2013-03-17 11:33  

#4  The wombat lives across the seas,
Among the far Antipodes.
He may exist on nuts and berries,
Or then again, on missionaries;
His distant habitat precludes
Conclusive knowledge of his moods,
But I would not engage the wombat
In any form of mortal combat.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2013-03-17 11:22  

#3  Somebody's been reading poetry again.... ;-p
Posted by: Barbara   2013-03-17 11:18  

#2  Funny thing about a Pelican. His beak can hold more than his bellycan.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2013-03-17 10:43  

#1  Evolutionary adaptation, babies were significantly larger during this pre-turnip era.
Posted by: Shipman   2013-03-17 03:38  

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