Re: emu history

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@rogers.com>]

At 04:56 PM 1/14/2004, Phil Hore wrote:

> Would you not mean when Gondwana seperated from Africa? What does it 
> matter to the ostrich when Australia seperated from Antartica, unless your 
> saying they flew to Africa 45 million years ago.

That is actually a possibility given some views on ostrich relationships; 
Ostriches may have actually evolved in Eurasia according to some, and I 
gather Cooper favoured this in his 2001 paper.  The point, anyway, is that 
the most recent date at which the emu-cassowary lineage in Australia (there 
may have been some in Antarctica, too, of course) could have been sympatric 
with any other flightless ratite lineages is the last date at which 
Australasia broke away from Antarctica.

> again, Africa and Gondwana, I cannot see anyway of a ratite getting to 
> both Africa and Australia otherwise. This would be during the cretaceous- 
> roughly 80 MYA. True Emus though evoloving of course must have been much 
> later then that but the split must have been then!

Bear in mind that we don't know anything about the ratite fauna of 
pre-glacial Antarctica.  Ostrich and emu ancestors could have mingled there 
long after Africa broke away.

--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
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