But did Vegavis iaai evolve into a modern species, or was it peculiar to the late Cretaceous? To answer that question, paleontologists needed the missing link -- a skull. A paper published in ...

"Few birds are as likely to start as many arguments among paleontologists as 'vegavis,'" said professor Christopher Torres.

However, recent fossil discoveries—particularly of one waterfowl-like species named Vegavis iaai—complicate this simple narrative. During the late Cretaceou period, the landmass that is now ...