New Extinct Megapode Species Discovered in Liang Bua Cave

Researchers have identified a new extinct megapode species, Megapodius rokusi, from a 190,000–120,000-year-old leg bone found in Flores Island's Liang Bua cave. The fossil, which sat unstudied since its 2009 discovery in the same site as Homo floresiensis, represents the first megapode identified in Wallacea.

Named after zooarchaeologist Rokus Due Awe, the bird weighed approximately 3.9 kilograms, making it the largest species of its kind ever discovered. Its physical characteristics, including unique toe joint structures, distinguish it from all living and extinct megapodes, providing rare data on bird populations from that prehistoric period.

Editor's note: The brief effectively summarizes the discovery, though it omits the nuance that flight capability remains uncertain.