Digital Brain Reconstructions (IMAGE)

University of Texas at Austin

Digital Brain Reconstructions

Caption

A digital brain reconstruction of the recently extinct elephant bird revealed that its optic lobes were virtually absent, a trait it shares with the closely-related kiwi and which indicates that it was nocturnal and possibly blind. This is in contrast to the distantly related tinamous, which is active during the day and can see.

Credit

C. Torres for The University of Texas at Austin.

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