Officials from Mexico have revealed the extraordinary discovery of an ancient flamingo fossil egg, estimated to be between 8,000 and 12,000 years old, at a bustling construction site for a new airport.
The well-preserved egg, dating back to the Pleistocene period, is an incredibly rare find. According to Mexico's heritage institute INAH, this is the first-ever discovery of its kind from the Phoenicopteridae flamingo family in the Americas, and only the second known specimen in the entire world.
INAH, the heritage institute of Mexico, has made a remarkable discovery—a flamingo egg fossil hailing from the Pleistocene geological epoch, known as the most recent Ice Age, which spanned from 2.6 million years ago to about 11,700 years ago.
The fossilized egg was found buried at a depth of 31 centimeters (1 foot) amidst clay and shale during the construction of the new Felipe Angeles airport in the State of Mexico.
Mexican scientists have determined that the presence of this fossil egg indicates that the region was once home to a shallow lake between 8,000 and 33,000 years ago. This finding sheds light on the thriving population of flamingos in central Mexico during that ancient era.
The modern American flamingo species, renowned for its vibrant pink plumage, primarily inhabits regions such as South America, the Caribbean, the Yucatan peninsula, and the southeastern coast of the United States.