A team of researchers of the Universidad Austral Chile discovered a fossilized bird footprint found at the paleoarchaeological site of Pilauco located in Osorno, a vibrant city and commune in southern Chile and capital of Osorno Province in the Los Lagos Region, known as a gateway to Northern Patagonia, characterized by its German - Spanish architecture, a rich cultural scene, proximity to volcanoes, featuring a scenic setting on the Rahue River and access to outdoor activities like hiking at the Puyehue National Park and skiing at Antillanca.
The site is known for holding, among other, older finds, as the oldest human footprint in the Americas, estimated at roughly 15.600 years old.
As reported by El Ciudadano news agency the finding is considered of high heritage value due to the scarcity of this type of records in the South American country, and suggests a, or multiple, bird species inhabited the area during the late Pleistocene.
According to the publication, the discovery dated back to January of this year, when Carlos Morel and Monserrat Jaure detected a unsual mark on the ground and consulted José Band, an archaedology student at the Universidad Austral Chile.
The student activated contact with Dr. Karen Moreno, a specialist who later visited the site with students and the team of the Pilauco Archaeopaleontological Site.
As quoted by the media, after the inspection carried out in March, the specialist confirmed the relevance of search, stating that the bird footprint was very well preserved and that there was enormous potential to find more.
The rescue was carried out because the area where the footprint appeared floods during the winter and the record was at low height above the water level.
After informing the National Monuments Council, the team managed to recover a main footprint and detect at least two other marks of the same bird in the same sedimentary layer.
The characteristics of the marking point to an aquatic bird, similar in size to a great heron. One of the tracks clearly preserves the hind finger, which reinforcers the hypothesis that is was a bird adapted to moving through wet or shallow areas.
The finding also make it possible to identify traces of mammals, which expands the scientific value of the site. The footprints found could be more than 100.000 years old, providing new insights into the ancient ecosystems of Southern Chile, highlighting the area as a crucial location for understanding prehistoric life in South America.
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https://tvbrics.com/es/news/huella-de-ave-hallada-en-chile-podria-tener-hasta-130000-anos-de-antiguedad/
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