Around 45 million years ago, a 4.6-foot-tall (1.4 meters) bird called Diatryma roamed a warm, tropical swamp in what is now southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
This giant, flightless bird, known for its large beak, lived during the Eocene Epoch alongside ancient horses, early tapirs, crocodiles, and giant tortoises.
Now, researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Senckenberg Research Institute have uncovered a remarkable fossil of Diatryma: a nearly complete skull. This rare find sheds new light on the bird and its environment.
Their findings are published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.
The fossil was originally discovered in the 1950s in the Geiseltal region, a former lignite mining area in Germany.
However, it was misidentified as part of a crocodile skull and went unnoticed for decades. Years later, Michael Stache, a geological preparator at MLU, rediscovered the fossil while working in the university’s Geiseltal Collection.
“When I found it, I realized it wasn’t a crocodile skull but something much more significant,” said Stache. He restored the fossil and combined it with another piece from the collection, creating an almost complete skull.
Dr. Gerald Mayr from the Senckenberg Institute later confirmed the skull’s true identity: it belonged to Diatryma. Only one other fully preserved skull of this bird exists, housed in the American Museum of Natural History in the United States.
The Geiseltal Collection at MLU, home to 50,000 fossils, is a treasure trove for scientists studying the Eocene Epoch. During this period, the Geiseltal region was a lush, tropical swamp filled with diverse life.
For many years, scientists believed that Diatryma was a predator, hunting small horses and other prey. However, more recent studies reveal that it was a herbivore, using its large beak to eat plants instead of hunting animals.
“There are about 40 specimens of Diatryma in the collection, which suggests the bird was rare in this region,” said Stache.
This rediscovery highlights the importance of museum collections in paleontology. “Many of the most exciting discoveries come from fossils already in museums,” said Dr. Mayr.
The restored skull of Diatryma is now part of the Geiseltal Collection, where it continues to attract researchers from around the world. These studies expand our understanding of ancient ecosystems, even decades after excavations in the Geiseltal ended.
This incredible find not only reveals more about Diatryma but also underscores the hidden treasures that museum collections can hold.
