Shiriyanetta hasegawai

[surroundx]

Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, Northeast Japan

Abstract

A flightless fossil duck (Aves, Anatidae), Shiriyanetta hasegawai, gen. et sp. nov., is described as a member of the Shiriya local fauna, a middle–late Pleistocene marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna from fissure-fill deposits in the Shiriya area, northeast Japan. The species is represented by isolated bones, including skull fragments, vertebrae, pectoral and pelvic girdle elements, and most of the major limb elements. Osteological features of Shiriyanetta suggest that it had taxonomic affinity with tribe Mergini (seaducks) of subfamily Anatinae, and specifically with Recent Polysticta and Somateria (eiders). Although the overall large size, several unique skeletal features, and the proportions of the limb bones of Shiriyanetta strongly resemble North American seaducks of the genus Chendytes Miller, 1925, extinct relatives of Somateria, most elements of the two genera are diagnostically different from one another. Comparisons of these taxa and other flightless anatids with their relatives show that some of the apparently shared osteological features of Shiriyanetta and Chendytes are probably associated with flightlessness rather than reflecting a close relationship between the two genera. Given that Recent Somateria has an impaired flight ability, or the occurrence of a temporary flightless condition, it is quite possible that Shiriyanetta and Chendytes might have lost their flight ability independently, resulting in the contemporaneous occurrence of flightless ducks on both sides of the Pleistocene North Pacific.

Source:

Watanabe, Junya and Matsuoka, Hiroshige. (2015). Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, Northeast Japan. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI:10.1080/02724634.2014.994745 [Abstract]

[surroundx]

Giant, extinct, flightless duck discovered in Japan

Not so long ago, the Pacific coasts of Asia and North America were inhabited by large flightless ducks. Paleontologists have identified a new species of this remarkable type of bird from various bones of the skull, vertebral column, shoulder, forelimb, and hind limb found on Honshu Island, Japan.

The scientific paper describing the new bird was published online September 24 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The fossils were studied by Junya Watanabe and Hiroshige Matsuoka of Kyoto University.

The new bird has been named Shiriyanetta hasegawai. The genus name refers to Shiriya, the name of the locality where the remains were discovered, and uses the Latin work netta, meaning “duck.” The species name honors Yoshikazu Hasegawa, a Japanese paleontologist who has conducted detailed investigations of the Shiriya sites.

The bones of the shoulder and forelimb are smaller relative to the bird’s body size than in other birds. This and other skeletal features suggest that Shiriyanetta was flightless.

Other skeletal characteristics indicate that Shiriyanetta is closely related to living eider ducks, which are capable of flight. Shiriyanetta lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, around 120,000 years ago. Shiriyanetta shared the coast of Japan with various mammals, including the extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon.

Shiriyanetta was not the only extinct eider to evolve flightlessness. Another large flightless duck, called Chendytes, lived along the coasts of California and Oregon from around 40,000 years ago to just 2,400 years ago, from the late Pleistocene into the Holocene, the epoch in which we currently live.

A 2008 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined the ages of Chendytes bones at archaeological sites throughout southern California in order to understand how the birds declined in the face of human hunting. The results showed that Chendytes was hunted for food as early as between 11,150 years and 10,280 years ago. Hunting, which continued until the extinction of Chendytes, was the primary cause of the bird’s disappearance.

Source: www.sciencerecorder.com/news/2015/09/29/giant-extinct-flightless-duck-discovered-japan/

[surroundx]

Baby’s got quack

Posted on October 20, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Who could actually resist a news headline about a giant Pleistocene Japanese duck? Not me, I’m afraid. Kaiju films are one of my favourite things, alongside disaster movies. From Godzilla to Pacific Rim, I love ‘em all. Add the word Pleistocene and that’s it – it’s a paper I need to read! The very recent article by Junya Watanabe and Hiroshige Matsuoka in the Journal of Vertebrate Biology was immediately placed on my list of ‘need-to-read’ papers!

Some time back I had researched and presented the story of the extinct giant Hawaiian duck, the Moa Nalo. Keeping that info at the back of my mind, I plunged into the paper, which, although brief, is quite technical for someone who is not in any way an expert on bird bones. Yet it tells a fascinating tale of painstaking, methodical research and detective work, and just how the reassessment of old material is always utterly necessary.

But let’s start at the very beginning; the ‘new’ duck Shiriyanetta hasegawai isn’t really so new. The bones had been found over a span of time, from the 1950s to the 1980s, mostly from areas of Shiriya, in north-eastern Japan, which had once been marine terraces back in Pleistocene times. Hence its name – Shiriya for the area and Hasegawa the first scientist to wonder what the bones actually belonged to, back in the 1950s. The assemblages of skull fragments, limbs and pectoral bones were never fully identified. It was just another lost creature of the Ice Age, presumed to be some sort of Mergini, or seaduck species. But that was before the Duck Detectives, Watanabe and Matsuoka, got started on the analysis of those bones!

eflksa "Location TsugaruPeninsulaJp". Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Location_TsugaruPeninsulaJp.jpg#/media/File:Location_TsugaruPeninsulaJp.jpg
Shiriya is located at the norther tip of Japan’s largest island. Around 20,000 years ago the islands were connected by landbridges with the lower global sea levels. (Image Public Domain)

It became pretty evident that S. hasegawai belonged to the Anatidae family, and was as flightless as those other Pacific giants, the Moa Nalo, and goose species Branta rhuax and Branta hylobadistes. I’m a bit disappointed that there’s no reconstruction of what the bird would have looked like – I for one want to see how similar or different it was to other ancient or modern species We do know, however, it was quite a large duck, about the size of the modern Muscovy Duck (Cairina moscata) or Steamer Duck (Tachyeres patachanicus), weighing in around 7kg, so not a giant, but a rather large bird of its type. If it resembled anything else in that primeval world of ice and refugia, it was the Californian Chendytes, a large goose-like sea duck which became extinct within recent prehistory.

Detailed analysis showed that the skeletal structure of S. hasegawai incorporated airspace within the bones (technically called the skeletal pneumaticity), indicating a powerful diving bird; those airspaces are necessary for buoyancy and surfacing again after plunging into water after tasty fish! The ridge on the shoulder blade bones (margo caudalis) was also typical of a flightless bird. The sturdy leg bones also suggested they were made to support a creature of larger than average body mass, which again pointed to lack of flight – the higher bone density, along with large body size gives quite a competitive edge in underwater diving. The price for that diving advantage is lack of flight.

"Chendytes lawi" by The original uploader was Apokryltaros at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chendytes_lawi.jpg#/media/File:Chendytes_lawi.jpg
There are currently no images of the Giant Japanese Duck. Didi it look a little similae to Chendytes lawi ? (Image by Stanton F Fink. Public Domain)

So, the upshot is that the previously unnamed seaduck, now known as S. hasegawai was probably a very successful creature in cool climates, adept at diving for food, not unlike its nearest modern ‘cousins’ the Eider duck. It would appear that they occupied a very specific niche environment for which they were perfectly adapted, just like their ‘cousins’, Chendytes, across the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the USA. Living right on the seafront, these birds had little need to seek food supplies elsewhere. Seasonal migration would be unnecessary when all the fish in the sea are yours for the taking. It’s likely that like the modern Eider, these Pacific ducks would have conserved body heat with soft, warm plumage. Within such a stable environment, flight was simply a waste of energy which could be better used in foraging.

The world these birds lived in was considerably different from today – the Japanese archipelago we know is the result of regular and dramatic sea level changes from the Ice Age onwards. While Japan escaped the great ice sheets, the landscape of Ice Age Japan was covered in deep coniferous forests with smatterings of Fagus (beech) and Quercus (oak) groves on the southern coasts of Kyushu. Temperatures were cool, ranging between 8oC and 6oC, which was decidedly balmy compared to the big freeze in Europe and North America of 20,000 years ago. Land bridges connected all four main islands. There was a connection to Korea via the southern island of Kyushu and the northern island of Hokkaido was likely joined to Siberia, right up to the end of the Ice Age, around 15,000 years ago, when the meltwaters flooded the region and created the islands we know now. The Japanese fauna included mammoths, of course, but also the beautiful Sinomegaceros yabei, Palaeoloxodon, and numerous smaller mammals. Placing our large, fluffy ducks in this time, and environment, there was indeed little need for flight. They dodged the icy bullet of the glaciers which affected parts of California and even Hawaii of the Last Glacial Maximum, and likely knew no serious danger until the arrival of humans, via those landbridges. It’s speculated that the first humans arrived in Japan around 30,000 years ago, a story told by both human remains and animal traps , discovered across the island. We also know they were voracious hunters, and many species succumbed to unsustainable hunting.

"Japan glaciation" by Davison A, Chiba S, Barton NH, Clarke B. - Davison A, Chiba S, Barton NH, Clarke B. (2005) "Speciation and Gene Flow between Snails of Opposite Chirality" (in English). PLoS Biology 3 (9, e282). doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0030282 [1]. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Commons - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_glaciation.gif#/media/File:Japan_glaciation.gif
Around 20,000 years ago Japan was one large island. The mountains formed the base for glaciers to grow. (Image by Davison A, Chiba S, Barton NH, & Clarke B. Public Domain)

At this moment in time, nobody knows exactly when S. hasegawai became extinct; it’s early days for research yet, and there’s no speculation on extinction dates within the paper. The series of unfortunate events brought on by the end of the Ice Age created rapid changes in temperature, sea level and vegetation, often irrevocably altering the environment for niche species. At the same time, milder temperatures and lack of ice allowed humans to go on the move, bringing with them overkill and human alteration to landscapes. The factors are likely best looked at as a combination which was not conducive to the preservation of Pleistocene species. A flightless, large plump duck with warm feathers was likely easy hunting for early humans, making S. hasegawai another statistical casualty of the march of Homo sapiens across the Holocene world.
However, something rather odd has been spotted in Japanese waters….. giant ducks bobbing about in Osaka harbour, large enough to scare off any human hunter. You could be forgiven for imagining this kawaii kaiju as the result of nuclear mutation, as all the best movies start that way, of course! Duckzilla? We await the movie of this!

Written by Rena Maguire (@justrena)

Further reading:

Giant rubber ducks in Osaka! Read about the giant inflatable duck here!

An excellent article on Japanese Palaeolithic archaeology, by Suzuki, H and Tanabe, G. Available here.

Campbell, K. E., Jr., & Marcus, L. (1992). ‘The relationship of hindlimb bone dimensions to body weight in birds’ in K. E. Campbell Jr. (ed.), Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series 36. pp. 395–412. [Book]

Davison, A, et al. (2005). ‘Speciation and gene flow between snails of opposite chirality. PLOS BIOLOGY. DIO:10.1371/Journal.pbio.0030282

Feduccia, A. (1999). The Origin and Evolution of Birds, second edition. New Haven: Yale University Press. [Book]

Fulton, T. L., Letts, B & Shapiro, B. (2012). ‘Multiple losses of flight and recent speciation in steamer ducks’. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 279. pp. 2239–2346. [Abstract only]

Gutzwiller, S. C., Su, A., & O’Connor, P. M., (2013). ‘Postcranial pneumaticity and bone structure in two clades of neognath birds’. The Anatomical Record 296. pp 867–876. [Full article]

Livezey, B. C. (1993). ‘Morphology of flightlessness in Chendytes, fossil seaducks (Anatidae: Mergini) of coastal California’. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13. pp 185–199. [Abstract only]

Nakajima, Z. (1958). ‘On the occurrence of the Quaternary mammalian fauna from the limestone fissures near Shiriya-zaki, Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori Prefecture, Japan (No. 2)’. Miscellaneous Reports of the Research Institute for National Resources. 46/47. pp 37–39. [Japanese with English summary]

Norton, C, Kondo, Y, Ono, A, Zhang, Y, & Diab, M. (2010). ‘’The nature of megafaunal extinctions during the MIS 3–2 transition in Japan’ Quaternary International. 211. pp133-122. [Full text]

Ogino, S, Otsuka, H, & Harunari, H. (2009). ‘The Middle Pleistocene Matsugae Fauna, Northern Kyushu, West Japan’. Paleontological Research 13.4. pp 367-384. [Abstract only]

Olson, S. L. (1985). ‘The fossil records of birds’ in D. S. Farner, J. R. King, and K. C. Parkers (eds.), Avian Biology, Volume 8. New York: Academic Press. pp. 79–238. [Book]

Pelletier, D., Guillemette, M, Grandbois, J., & Butler, P. J. 2008. ‘To fly or not to fly: high flight costs in a large sea duck do not imply an expensive lifestyle’. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 275. pp 2117–2124. [Full article]

Stuart, A. J & Lister, A. M. (2012). ‘Extinction chronology of the woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis in the context of late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions in northern Eurasia’. Quaternary Science Reviews, 51, pp 1-17. [Full article]

Surovell, T, Waguespack, N, & Brantingham, P.J. (2005). ‘Global archaeological evidence for proboscidean overkill’ [Full article]

Tsukadaa, M. (1983). ‘Vegetation and climate during the last glacial maximum in Japan’. Quaternary Research. 19.2. pp 212–235. [Full article]

Watanabe, J & Matsuoka, H. (2015). ‘Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, Northeast Japan’. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. [Abstract only]

Source: twilightbeasts.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/babys-got-quack/