Woodpeckers of the World: Australopicus nelsonmandelai

Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Australopicus nelsonmandelai

A woodpecker species whose remains were unearthed by scientists at the Langebaanweg fossil site on South Africa's south-west coast, have named it Australopicus nelsonmandelai in honour of Nelson Mandela. It is the oldest type ever found on the African continent. See here:
http://phys.org/news/2012-07-woodpecker-fossil-mandela-eve-birthday.html#jCp

1 comment:

Unknown31 May 2019 at 23:12
Butttt... I can't understand it... Y this name is given to Nelson Mandela??
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Background

Woodpeckers, the Picidae, are Piciformes, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages. The Piciformes probably originated about 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period and became distinct from their closest relatives some 50 million years ago. Depending upon which taxonomy is followed, and the fact that the status of some species is unclear, around 240-260 woodpecker species probably exist globally. The Picidae includes three subfamilies: Jynginae (wrynecks), Picumninae (piculets) and the Picinae, the “true woodpeckers”. In terms of size, behaviour, distribution and the habitats they use, the Picinae are a fairly diverse group of birds with six distinct tribes. They are widespread and found from sea-level to high-altitudes but absent from the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and some other islands. Worldwide woodpeckers are usually, but not exclusively, associated with trees.