Chunga incerta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chunga incerta |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Chunga
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| Species: |
incerta
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Chunga incerta was an extinct bird that lived a long time ago. It belonged to a group of birds called cariamids. These birds are found today in South America. Chunga incerta lived during the Pliocene period, about 3 million years ago. It was part of the same family as the modern Chunga birds, like the black-legged seriema.
Contents
Discovering Chunga incerta
Who found this ancient bird?
This interesting bird was first described in 1974. An Argentinian paleontologist named Eduardo Pedro Tonni studied its bones. He was the first to give it its scientific name.
Where were the bones found?
The main bone found was the lower part of a leg bone. It is called a tibiotarsus. Other small pieces of leg bones were also found. All these bones are kept in a museum in La Plata, Argentina. This museum is part of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
How old are the fossils?
The bones of Chunga incerta were found in a place called the Monte Hermoso Formation. This area is in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Scientists believe these fossils are from the Pliocene period. This means they are about 3 million years old.
What did Chunga incerta look like?
Estimating its size
Scientists only have a few leg bones from Chunga incerta. Because of this, it's hard to know exactly what it looked like. However, they have estimated its weight. They think it weighed about 1.95 kilograms (about 4.3 pounds). This is similar to the size of a modern red-legged seriema.
Where did Chunga incerta live?
Past and present homes
Today, the only living bird in the Chunga family is the black-legged seriema. This bird lives in dry places. These include savannahs, scrublands, and dry forests.
A changing environment
Chunga incerta lived in an area where its relatives do not live today. This tells us something important. It means that in the past, the Chunga birds lived further south and east in South America. This also suggests that the climate and environment were different back then. It was likely warmer in that area than it is now.
See also
In Spanish: Chunga incerta para niños
