# Giant (fossilized) Australian goose found! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479 "2024-06-04T14:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/1 "2024-06-04T14:49:30Z")
And you thought the Canadian geese were bad! > **[Skull of prehistoric 'giant goose' discovered in Australia](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy99v7xg45xo)** > > The fossilised skull of a now extinct flightless bird is a “stunningly rare find”, researchers say. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/2 "2024-06-04T15:05:05Z")
A [CNN website article](https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/03/science/genyornis-newtoni-skull-thunder-bird-scn/index.html) is calling this creature a ‘thunder bird’ for some reason. I wonder if anyone else does because the ‘Thunderbird’ is the name of a well known [North American mythological creature.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(mythology)) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/3 "2024-06-04T16:11:16Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > And you thought the Canadian geese were bad! Sorry to be pedantic but the species is identified as [Canada Geese](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/id#). And given that these are descendants of some of the fastest and most aggressive predators, I think we’re lucky that all they do is hiss, shit, and pinch. As I tell a goose every time once approaches me, “Your ancestors used to be king of the land but now you’re just food in a bucket. Cognate on that, Christmas Dinner!” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/4 "2024-06-04T16:16:56Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Sorry to be pedantic but (…) > “… Cognate on that, Christmas Dinner!” > > Stranger …cogitate? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/5 "2024-06-04T16:36:21Z")
Garfield. For those Chicago kids, from the Old Days. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/6 "2024-06-04T16:39:08Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Sorry to be pedantic Are you, though? 🤔 😄 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/7 "2024-06-04T18:58:47Z")
Australia is a place for oversized fossils. Here’s a giant spider fossil from just last year: > **[Large fossil spider found in Australia](https://australian.museum/about/organisation/media-centre/fossil-spider-australia/)** > > The first fossil from the brush footed trapdoor spider family ever found. and giany wombats found four years ago > **[Giant relatives of wombats discovered in Australian desert](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2020/june/giant-relatives-of-wombats-discovered-in-australian-desert.html)** > > A new family of ancient marsupials has been discovered, relatives of modern-day wombats and koalas. and the largest known marsupial (although was found a long time ago) > **[Diprotodon optatum](https://australian.museum/learn/australia-over-time/extinct-animals/diprotodon-optatum/)** > > Diprotodon optatum ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/8 "2024-06-04T19:02:24Z")
If it’s Australian, should I ask if it’s suspected to be venomous? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/9 "2024-06-04T19:12:12Z")
A venomous goose seems like an awfully good D&D monster. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/10 "2024-06-04T19:23:52Z")
IMHO, that’s hardly “giant”, large would be more apt. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/11 "2024-06-04T19:50:15Z")
Dire? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-fossilized-australian-goose-found/1002479/12 "2024-06-05T15:15:01Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > IMHO, that’s hardly “giant”, large would be more apt Yeah, I was thinking it was about half the size of a [Moa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moa).