The giant duck must have been about 70 centimeters long and weighed at least 2 kilos.

For twenty years, researchers in the former gold and coal mining town of St Bathans in New Zealand have been searching for fossil remains. And that is bearing fruit. Meanwhile, several animals have been discovered that lived here millions of years ago. In a new study researchers come up with another wonderful discovery. Because in one of New Zealand’s richest fossil sites, they have found a new species of extinct duck.

giant duck

It turns out to be a particularly large specimen, as the discovery of a large wing bone shows. Named Catriona, the duck must have looked something like the paradise casarca – an endemic duck from New Zealand – but bigger. For example, the giant duck was probably about 70 centimeters long and weighed at least 2 kilos.

Catriona’s wing bone (left) compared to a wing bone from another duck found in St Bathans (right). Image: University of Otago

largest

It is not uncommon for duck remains to be found in St Bathans. In fact, duck bones are the most common bird bones found in St Bathans. We are already aware of seven duck species. But none of these were as huge as Catriona. “It’s the largest of any ducks found here,” said study researcher Alan Tennyson.

giant birds

New Zealand is known for its giant birds. Long ago, large moas, giant geese and eagles dominated. In 2019, researchers also came across the fossil remains of the world’s largest parrot near St Bathans. This animal could compete with a dodo and weighed a sloppy 7 kilos. Incidentally, it is not exceptional that birds on islands grow out of their seams and can reach enormous sizes. In addition to the parrot, a gigantic pigeon in Fiji, a large stork in Flores and colossal ducks in Hawaii have been excavated before. Giant owls and other birds of prey dominated the Caribbean.

The find once again demonstrates just how rich the fauna in St Bathans once was. Several exotic species, such as relatives of flamingos and crocodiles, have already been discovered here. The ancestors of the current kiwi and bridge lizards also lived here.

Lake Manuherikia

All of these animals presumably lived together around a gigantic, prehistoric lake called Lake Manuherikia. And thanks to the discovery of more and more fossil remains, we are expanding our knowledge of the fauna of that time. “The fauna of St Bathans is about 15 to 19 million years old,” said researcher Nic Rawlence. “It opens a window to a true Miocene wonderland that we knew relatively little about until recently.”

Extinct

Unfortunately, the newly discovered giant duck did not live forever. Tennyson suspects Catriona became extinct because of dramatic tectonic and climatic changes in the area, eventually causing the entire lake to disappear. “Or maybe the duck evolved into a modern species and its descendants are still with us,” the researcher suggests.

Overall, the new discovery underscores the worldwide importance of St Bathans fossils. “We are now beginning to better understand the evolution of ducks and their relatives,” Tennyson concludes.