Giant prehistoric geese the size of small plane

Scientists have discovered that giant prehistoric geese the size of small aircraft once flew over Britain.

Dasornis, which had a 16 ft wingspan and sharp teeth, lived 50 million years ago and was related to present-day ducks and geese. Once it skimmed the waters which covered what is now London, Essex and Kent, snapping up fish and squid with its bony-toothed beak. Scientists announced the discovery of one of the best preserved Dasornis fossil skulls buried in clay on the Isle of Sheppey.

Dasornis was in many ways similar to the modern albatross, which has the largest wingspan of any living bird, but research has shown that its closest cousins are ducks and geese. Perhaps the strangest thing about them is that they had sharp, tooth-like projections along the cutting edges of the beak.

No living birds have true teeth - which are made of enamel and dentine - because their distant ancestors did away with them more than 100 million years ago, probably to save weight and make flying easier. But the bony-toothed birds, like Dasornis, are unique among birds in that they reinvented tooth-like structures by evolving these bony spikes. These spikes would have enabled them to skim across the surface of the sea while snapping up fish and squid.

Original article here.