Illustration (generated by AI) of the cave near Waitomo with extinct animals.
Among the discoveries, in addition to a relative of the iconic kākāpō, were found traces of an extinct ancestor of the takahē, another emblematic species of the archipelago, and of an extinct species of pigeon.
A cave discovered on a hillside near Waitomo, on the North Island of New Zealand, contains an ecosystem that is around a million years old — a “lost world”, predating the arrival of Homo sapiens and even long before human presence on the islands.
The place, which became known as Moa Eggshell Caveis located in a region famous for its caves, including the Waitomo caves illuminated by thousands of bioluminescent larvae, notes . Although the first fossils were collected in the 1960s, a team of paleontologists recently returned to the cave and concluded that initial explorations had barely scratched the surface of its scientific potential.
Inside, researchers recently identified, according to a study on January 26 in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, fossils of 12 ancient species of birds and four species of frogs.
Among the discoveries is also a new species of parrot, Strigops insulaborealisrelative of stupida green, ground-dwelling, flightless bird that has become a symbol of conservation in New Zealand.
Scientists suspect that this prehistoric relative could fly, unlike the kākāpō: the leg bones appear to indicate weaker limbs than those of the modern kākāpō.
The team also found traces of an extinct ancestor of the mistakeanother emblematic species of the archipelago, and an extinct pigeon species with close affinities to the bronzewing pigeons of Australia.
The dating was possible thanks to the layers of volcanic ash preserved in the cave’s strata. The fossils emerged between two distinct layers associated with eruptions that occurred around 1.55 million and 1 million years ago.
As the oldest known cave site on the North Island, Moa Eggshell Cave brings us the first record of early Pleistocene vertebrate fauna found in a cave in New Zealand.
The diversity now revealed also points to a surprising pace of losses over the last million years. Comparing this location with other sites, the study authors estimate that around 33% to 50% of the species will have disappeared before human arrival. Large volcanic eruptions and rapid climate changes associated with more intense glacial cycles will be blamed.
