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Description

Anatids are quite curious birds in terms of adaptability, although most are aquatic dwellers, some species have been able to change their habits when conditions are given, turning from aquatic animals to completely terrestrial, this has been quite exemplified with some types of geese that in isolated islands like those in the Pacific, lost the flight and became completely terrestrial, even some separated species are able to graze. However, during the human era, this family had suffered considerable loss in species, this of course caused by anthropogenic activities such as indiscriminate hunting, habitat loss and abrupt climatic changes. In the end, this group survived, partially injured by the loss of a couple of dozen species which in these included the terrestrial many of the terrestrial ones, but at the end most of the species survived. After that, the next million years settled well for this group assuring them in the end a diverse and great future.

Transition

The new ecological changes at the end of the Holocene led to a second considerable loss of other species of Anatids, however, the emergence of new territories in the north like Greenland and several islands of the Arctic sea and around the pacific allowed the proliferation of new terrestrial species. On the south, two strange and unique events happened, the first was the introduction of some particular species from the Holarctic region into some parts of the south by part of the humans, like the Canadian goose, which without any competitor their descendant became the dominant herbivore birds of New Zealand.
The second and maybe the most important is the Antarctica, this continent became into the pinnacle of expansion and colonization, being a virgin land completely devoid of terrestrial mammals; this family proliferated to a large extent among other birds, becoming practically one of the dominant types of terrestrial birds and formed 1/3 of the avifauna.

Acrobrantes
One of the largest terrestrial animal of the Antarctic territory during the quaternary, Acrobrantes is one of many descendant of the Canadian geese insolated in New Zealand, which take land after the melting of most of the Antarctic glaciers during the Lethargocene (39 m.y.), being about 2.5 to 3.1 m tall and with a weight of about 330 to 420 kg being the females smaller. Acrobrantes feed mainly on the foliage of angiosperms and conifers, as the grass that has proliferated to the margin forest, although it also tends to feed on fruits and sometimes little animals.

This genus is formed by 2 species, A. silvanicus which is the largest and lives mostly in deep forests, characterized by its black color with white spots and its broad beak, with a crimson coloration, is mostly solitary, although during the raising of the chick both male and female tend to be together until the young is able to fend for itself. The second species is A. strutiastrus which has a small beak and a more ratite-like shape, with a brown coloration, is slightly smaller than its forest brother and being much more agile, is an inhabitant of open areas of the territory.

After the minor extinction event caused by an asteroid at the end of the quaternary most of the megafauna Anatidae groups disappeared, but not its small relatives, which with the time and the vast space they rise and take over again the empty niches. Some of the now flightless Anatidae maintained a fairly relative dominance, they had been reduced in size and niches by other groups of birds that proliferated quickly, although with the progressive melting of the Antarctic continent led to new areas and new habitats emerged, sustaining both the new generation of Anatidae and other birds equally for at least the next dozens of millions of years, but all would change at the end of the Cenozoic era. The great Crg/Hn (Crescgeon/Haemonova) mass extinction event caused the loss of most of the mammals as others animals around the world including great part of Antarctic birds, but for luck some of the last descendants of the Anatidae family managed to survive, but with some new kind of mammals rising to take over the continent, these birds needs to get into the same.

Order Daserhinchia
Daserhinchia is a strange group of terrestrial birds descendants of the small generalist forms of anatids which were among the few types of endemic birds of the Antarctic continent that survived the great mass extinction. What makes them really strange among other types of birds is how the tongue and the beak have been structured, unlike other birds, these have improved from their ancestral form the teeth-like structures inside the beak and around the tongue, hardening them, in conjunction with the small plates in the tongue which covers the sides of it, acting as a radula and helping to “chew” the food by the movement of the tongue in circular form, from behind to the front so that the food is “chewed”. This adaptation, despite being light, will eventually give this group a long-term advantage, being able to grind their food and extract more nutrients.

Family Hegolimidae
The hegolimids is one of the precursor forms of Daserhinchia, being at first little ground dweller birds which appeared during the last period of the Cenozoic, the Crescgeon, they evolve into medium-sized omnivorous and herbivorous birds which become extended during great part of the Haemonova and the Agerogene. They are characterized by their robust appearance, being the majority of short legs, and ornaments in the head like crests, horns and even fleshy structures.

Opthalmeplatus unicorna
This is a bulky ground forest dweller bird, with a length of 1 m to 1.4 m and a weight of 120 kg, is characterized by its wide beak with a horn which it uses for defense and fight, despite not being able to fly, it has long wings which it uses for exhibition or as a parachute when they are launched from high places. This bird is quite social, living in female-dominated groups of about 15 to 20 individuals, where the matriarch in conjunction with some other females is able to reproduce

The matriarchs are quite selective with the males in terms of which one can mate, being the healthy and adult individuals able to do it and always from her own group, although to avoid inbreeding, many males descendant of the matriarch tend to separate from their original groups towards others.

Family Spinodontoidea
This family is formed mostly by heavy carnivorous species which take the role of the strange giant mammalian predators like the Craleo at the end of the Haemonova, during most of the Agerogene (166-266 m.y.), being most of the species active predators and scavengers. Unlike the Hegolimidae, the radula teeth became less specialized in chew but to cut and tear the meat, something interesting, is that this is divided into 2 to 3 rows (depending of the species), one external which has the function of gripping, and the second which has the function of cutting, in conjunction with the derived spiny radula.

Dinoanatos sp.
Also known as “The terror goose”, is the main representative genus of spinodontoids, being a heavy carnivorous terrestrial bird of about 3 to 4 m long, and weighting about a 700 to 900 kg, has only 2 species.

The first and most prominent is the D. assasor, a high territorial bird, characterized with a rhomboid shaped eye plate, small caudal feathers and a long neck, is better equipped for long chases, with more gracile legs, this is able to reach speeds of between 50 to 60 km/h. Most individuals are quite solitary and temperamental, usually maintaining a territory of about 25 to 30 square kilometers.

During the mating season, the males to be able to reproduce with a female must fight against her, so that she can verify the strength and health of the male, in the case of losing, it is probable that the female ends up killing the defiant male, and if the male achieves to overcome her, he has the right to copulate. After mating, female lays one egg in a nest on the ground created with weeds and earth that has gathered, which incubates for a period of about 3 months until it hatches. The chick will stay with the mother for around 7 months until is able to grow to a size of about 2 long. The males become sexually mature around the 5 years, and the females around 3 to 4 years.

The second species is D. phobos, which is slightly smaller, with a short body, robust legs, large caudal feathers and irregular shell-shaped eyes. Is a slow bird able to run at speeds of only 25 km/h, is more an opportunistic, tending to steal prey recently hunted by smaller carnivores such as Olitiaustra, are surrounding the hunting territories as water bodies.

Going featherless, going big.

In the last period of the therozoic era known as the Metamonus, a minor extinction event changed the course of the evolution of the Daserhinchia, extinguishing the large predatory clade, but leaving the most generalists and the medium size herbivores. At the same, this change killed a good part of the dominant mammal megafauna, leaving a large space for the proliferation of new large bird species, especially the large herbivores forms, but in a way different.
A special group of little grazing armored Hegolimidae, began to expand beyond the Antarctic continent to the South American territories, now with land bridges formed. With more space and without competition, this group of evolutionary bird in one of the greatest lineages of megafauna birds that have never existed.

Suborden Placorauvida

Formed by a huge variety of herbivorous bird, they are probably the most outstanding group of birds, positioning as the largest terrestrial animals at the end of the Therozoic and the beginning of the Phinizoic (266-470 m.y.) and especially for being the largest avian theropods since the Mesozoic. Most of the members of this group began a tendency both to lose much of the plumage and to develop an amalgam of scaly skin (similarly to their far extinct crocodilians relatives), long keratinous plates and osteoderms around the body. The reasons why this group began to develop hard tegumentary parts around the body probably was due to predation, being a good defense, however the loss of plumage in this group is due to other factors that cannot be determined for the moment.

Family Vicofictidae
Vicofictids are a group that includes very heterogeneous forms, including 4 common morphological types, the first being the most basal, covered with feathers in the tail and neck and have scale-like plates that covers most of the body; the second are robust species with spherical-shaped shells which are formed by osteoderms instead of keratin plates and that use of its lower beak as an support of its heavy body; the third and largest form which are tall forms with long necks and small bodies, supported by huge legs like pillars; the fourth lacks arms with only nails visible on the sides, with short necks, reduced armor, and a long tail.

Minorauvis platigracilens
Minorauvis is a common small vicofictid of about 1.9 to 2.3 m long and 150 kg, Is an agile runner that lives in disorganized groups, which tend to be close to larger herbivores.

Strigoglobus derptus
This is a heavy well armored and chubby herbivore of about 2 m long and 600 kg of weight is characterized by two strange features, the first and most notable is its enormous spherical shell, and the second is the lower beak extension, which used as an extra support for the body. Although this bird has such a stance greatly limits on its speed, it is quite compensated with its strong armor, which is able to withstand the attack of any predator from bites, scratches and bumps.

Atlerauvis hiperocollis
The Atlerauvis is a huge browser, being one of the tallest birds ever, with a height of 9 m and weighting of 8 tons. It inhabits mainly in the plains of Antarctica, normally is solitary, only tending to meet with other individuals when these are feeding or drinking. Although the Atlerauvis can get water from the plants that eat, this bird can also drink water from ponds or watering holes. To do so, this bird first looks for a firm place to sit, then to bend its head and thus reach Water.

Family Notobaridae
Notobarids are most conservative in terms of morphology, being the majority of the members of this group of moderately long but bulged bodies, mostly near the back where great part of their mass resides giving it a great balance, small plates around the body and being the dorsal ones hypertrophied in some species, and long legs. The head and beak shape and size always vary depending on the lifestyle they lead, being grazers or browsers.

Hadraugigas rex
This great herbivore bears the title of being the biggest land bird that ever lived, with a length of about 12 to 14 m and a weight of 16 tons. It inhabits mainly in the savannahs and zones with moderate vegetation. Is a very sociable creature, traveling in herds made up of about 25 to 30 individuals.

Callospinus elegants
The Callospinus is a very eccentric medium size notobarida, with a length of 5 m and a weight of 4 tons, this species is characterized by the males that have long dorsal spine, derived from their plates which tend to be for exhibition, these have a variety of tonalities that vary depending on the age, the youngest possess an orange coloration, while the spines on old individuals tend to turn more violet and even blue.

Extinction

During the early Phinizoic era, at the middle of the Retrogeian (390 m.y.), the tectonic movements will lead all continents to converge once again into a single landmass, which will have a great impact on geography, climate and, above all, the biodiversity, its distribution and survival. Although the effects will not all happen together, in the end they will affect all animal lineages, and the last ducks are too specialized in their herbivorous niches, too large and unable to withstand abrupt climatic changes, and the magnificent largest birds ever would perish.

Description

Anatids are quite curious birds in terms of adaptability, although most are aquatic dwellers, some species have been able to change their habits when conditions are given, turning from aquatic animals to completely terrestrial, this has been quite exemplified with some types of geese that in isolated islands like those in the Pacific, lost the flight and became completely terrestrial, even some separated species are able to graze. However, during the human era, this family had suffered considerable loss in species, this of course caused by anthropogenic activities such as indiscriminate hunting, habitat loss and abrupt climatic changes. In the end, this group survived, partially injured by the loss of a couple of dozen species which in these included the terrestrial many of the terrestrial ones, but at the end most of the species survived. After that, the next million years settled well for this group assuring them in the end a diverse and great future.

Transition

The new ecological changes at the end of the Holocene led to a second considerable loss of other species of Anatids, however, the emergence of new territories in the north like Greenland and several islands of the Arctic sea and around the pacific allowed the proliferation of new terrestrial species. On the south, two strange and unique events happened, the first was the introduction of some particular species from the Holarctic region into some parts of the south by part of the humans, like the Canadian goose, which without any competitor their descendant became the dominant herbivore birds of New Zealand.
The second and maybe the most important is the Antarctica, this continent became into the pinnacle of expansion and colonization, being a virgin land completely devoid of terrestrial mammals; this family proliferated to a large extent among other birds, becoming practically one of the dominant types of terrestrial birds and formed 1/3 of the avifauna.

Acrobrantes
One of the largest terrestrial animal of the Antarctic territory during the quaternary, Acrobrantes is one of many descendant of the Canadian geese insolated in New Zealand, which take land after the melting of most of the Antarctic glaciers during the Lethargocene (39 m.y.), being about 2.5 to 3.1 m tall and with a weight of about 330 to 420 kg being the females smaller. Acrobrantes feed mainly on the foliage of angiosperms and conifers, as the grass that has proliferated to the margin forest, although it also tends to feed on fruits and sometimes little animals.

This genus is formed by 2 species, A. silvanicus which is the largest and lives mostly in deep forests, characterized by its black color with white spots and its broad beak, with a crimson coloration, is mostly solitary, although during the raising of the chick both male and female tend to be together until the young is able to fend for itself. The second species is A. strutiastrus which has a small beak and a more ratite-like shape, with a brown coloration, is slightly smaller than its forest brother and being much more agile, is an inhabitant of open areas of the territory.

After the minor extinction event caused by an asteroid at the end of the quaternary most of the megafauna Anatidae groups disappeared, but not its small relatives, which with the time and the vast space they rise and take over again the empty niches. Some of the now flightless Anatidae maintained a fairly relative dominance, they had been reduced in size and niches by other groups of birds that proliferated quickly, although with the progressive melting of the Antarctic continent led to new areas and new habitats emerged, sustaining both the new generation of Anatidae and other birds equally for at least the next dozens of millions of years, but all would change at the end of the Cenozoic era. The great Crg/Hn (Crescgeon/Haemonova) mass extinction event caused the loss of most of the mammals as others animals around the world including great part of Antarctic birds, but for luck some of the last descendants of the Anatidae family managed to survive, but with some new kind of mammals rising to take over the continent, these birds needs to get into the same.

Order Daserhinchia
Daserhinchia is a strange group of terrestrial birds descendants of the small generalist forms of anatids which were among the few types of endemic birds of the Antarctic continent that survived the great mass extinction. What makes them really strange among other types of birds is how the tongue and the beak have been structured, unlike other birds, these have improved from their ancestral form the teeth-like structures inside the beak and around the tongue, hardening them, in conjunction with the small plates in the tongue which covers the sides of it, acting as a radula and helping to “chew” the food by the movement of the tongue in circular form, from behind to the front so that the food is “chewed”. This adaptation, despite being light, will eventually give this group a long-term advantage, being able to grind their food and extract more nutrients.

Family Hegolimidae
The hegolimids is one of the precursor forms of Daserhinchia, being at first little ground dweller birds which appeared during the last period of the Cenozoic, the Crescgeon, they evolve into medium-sized omnivorous and herbivorous birds which become extended during great part of the Haemonova and the Agerogene. They are characterized by their robust appearance, being the majority of short legs, and ornaments in the head like crests, horns and even fleshy structures.

Opthalmeplatus unicorna
This is a bulky ground forest dweller bird, with a length of 1 m to 1.4 m and a weight of 120 kg, is characterized by its wide beak with a horn which it uses for defense and fight, despite not being able to fly, it has long wings which it uses for exhibition or as a parachute when they are launched from high places. This bird is quite social, living in female-dominated groups of about 15 to 20 individuals, where the matriarch in conjunction with some other females is able to reproduce

The matriarchs are quite selective with the males in terms of which one can mate, being the healthy and adult individuals able to do it and always from her own group, although to avoid inbreeding, many males descendant of the matriarch tend to separate from their original groups towards others.

Family Spinodontoidea
This family is formed mostly by heavy carnivorous species which take the role of the strange giant mammalian predators like the Craleo at the end of the Haemonova, during most of the Agerogene (166-266 m.y.), being most of the species active predators and scavengers. Unlike the Hegolimidae, the radula teeth became less specialized in chew but to cut and tear the meat, something interesting, is that this is divided into 2 to 3 rows (depending of the species), one external which has the function of gripping, and the second which has the function of cutting, in conjunction with the derived spiny radula.

Dinoanatos sp.
Also known as “The terror goose”, is the main representative genus of spinodontoids, being a heavy carnivorous terrestrial bird of about 3 to 4 m long, and weighting about a 700 to 900 kg, has only 2 species.

The first and most prominent is the D. assasor, a high territorial bird, characterized with a rhomboid shaped eye plate, small caudal feathers and a long neck, is better equipped for long chases, with more gracile legs, this is able to reach speeds of between 50 to 60 km/h. Most individuals are quite solitary and temperamental, usually maintaining a territory of about 25 to 30 square kilometers.

During the mating season, the males to be able to reproduce with a female must fight against her, so that she can verify the strength and health of the male, in the case of losing, it is probable that the female ends up killing the defiant male, and if the male achieves to overcome her, he has the right to copulate. After mating, female lays one egg in a nest on the ground created with weeds and earth that has gathered, which incubates for a period of about 3 months until it hatches. The chick will stay with the mother for around 7 months until is able to grow to a size of about 2 long. The males become sexually mature around the 5 years, and the females around 3 to 4 years.

The second species is D. phobos, which is slightly smaller, with a short body, robust legs, large caudal feathers and irregular shell-shaped eyes. Is a slow bird able to run at speeds of only 25 km/h, is more an opportunistic, tending to steal prey recently hunted by smaller carnivores such as Olitiaustra, are surrounding the hunting territories as water bodies.

Going featherless, going big.

In the last period of the therozoic era known as the Metamonus, a minor extinction event changed the course of the evolution of the Daserhinchia, extinguishing the large predatory clade, but leaving the most generalists and the medium size herbivores. At the same, this change killed a good part of the dominant mammal megafauna, leaving a large space for the proliferation of new large bird species, especially the large herbivores forms, but in a way different.
A special group of little grazing armored Hegolimidae, began to expand beyond the Antarctic continent to the South American territories, now with land bridges formed. With more space and without competition, this group of evolutionary bird in one of the greatest lineages of megafauna birds that have never existed.

Suborden Placorauvida

Formed by a huge variety of herbivorous bird, they are probably the most outstanding group of birds, positioning as the largest terrestrial animals at the end of the Therozoic and the beginning of the Phinizoic (266-470 m.y.) and especially for being the largest avian theropods since the Mesozoic. Most of the members of this group began a tendency both to lose much of the plumage and to develop an amalgam of scaly skin (similarly to their far extinct crocodilians relatives), long keratinous plates and osteoderms around the body. The reasons why this group began to develop hard tegumentary parts around the body probably was due to predation, being a good defense, however the loss of plumage in this group is due to other factors that cannot be determined for the moment.

Family Vicofictidae
Vicofictids are a group that includes very heterogeneous forms, including 4 common morphological types, the first being the most basal, covered with feathers in the tail and neck and have scale-like plates that covers most of the body; the second are robust species with spherical-shaped shells which are formed by osteoderms instead of keratin plates and that use of its lower beak as an support of its heavy body; the third and largest form which are tall forms with long necks and small bodies, supported by huge legs like pillars; the fourth lacks arms with only nails visible on the sides, with short necks, reduced armor, and a long tail.

Minorauvis platigracilens
Minorauvis is a common small vicofictid of about 1.9 to 2.3 m long and 150 kg, Is an agile runner that lives in disorganized groups, which tend to be close to larger herbivores.

Strigoglobus derptus
This is a heavy well armored and chubby herbivore of about 2 m long and 600 kg of weight is characterized by two strange features, the first and most notable is its enormous spherical shell, and the second is the lower beak extension, which used as an extra support for the body. Although this bird has such a stance greatly limits on its speed, it is quite compensated with its strong armor, which is able to withstand the attack of any predator from bites, scratches and bumps.

Atlerauvis hiperocollis
The Atlerauvis is a huge browser, being one of the tallest birds ever, with a height of 9 m and weighting of 8 tons. It inhabits mainly in the plains of Antarctica, normally is solitary, only tending to meet with other individuals when these are feeding or drinking. Although the Atlerauvis can get water from the plants that eat, this bird can also drink water from ponds or watering holes. To do so, this bird first looks for a firm place to sit, then to bend its head and thus reach Water.

Family Notobaridae
Notobarids are most conservative in terms of morphology, being the majority of the members of this group of moderately long but bulged bodies, mostly near the back where great part of their mass resides giving it a great balance, small plates around the body and being the dorsal ones hypertrophied in some species, and long legs. The head and beak shape and size always vary depending on the lifestyle they lead, being grazers or browsers.

Hadraugigas rex
This great herbivore bears the title of being the biggest land bird that ever lived, with a length of about 12 to 14 m and a weight of 16 tons. It inhabits mainly in the savannahs and zones with moderate vegetation. Is a very sociable creature, traveling in herds made up of about 25 to 30 individuals.

Callospinus elegants
The Callospinus is a very eccentric medium size notobarida, with a length of 5 m and a weight of 4 tons, this species is characterized by the males that have long dorsal spine, derived from their plates which tend to be for exhibition, these have a variety of tonalities that vary depending on the age, the youngest possess an orange coloration, while the spines on old individuals tend to turn more violet and even blue.

Extinction

During the early Phinizoic era, at the middle of the Retrogeian (390 m.y.), the tectonic movements will lead all continents to converge once again into a single landmass, which will have a great impact on geography, climate and, above all, the biodiversity, its distribution and survival. Although the effects will not all happen together, in the end they will affect all animal lineages, and the last ducks are too specialized in their herbivorous niches, too large and unable to withstand abrupt climatic changes, and the magnificent largest birds ever would perish.