Re: Anserifornes existed 67 million years ago

On 2/12/2025 3:03 AM, John Harshman wrote:

On 2/6/25 8:08 AM, RonO wrote:

https://www.science.org/content/article/ancestor-ducks-and-geese- paddled-and-dove-alongside-dinosaurs-antarctica
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Some researchers claim to have found fossils of the ancestor or extant ducks and geese dated to 67 million years ago in Antarctica.  The molecular evidence indicates that the lineage of birds existed for more than 80 million years, but Anseriformes are supposed to have branched off from Galliformes around 70 million years.  Neoaves is supposed to have branched off 67 million years ago.  It looks like the latests molecular dating isn't as exaggerated as previous estimates.
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07323-1
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 I think you may be a little confused about the dating. The supposed Antarctic Cretaceous anseriform would be Vegavis, and its identity has been strongly questioned. It might in fact be a stem-neornithine. In the study, the oldest fossil used to date Anseriformes was Conflicto, and that's Paleocene, while Presbyornis and others are younger.
 

It would be the authors of the study that would be confused, and would have incorrectly identified and dated their fossil.
Ron Okimoto