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Nanantius
''Nanantius'' is a genus of extinct enantiornithean avialan ("bird" in the broad sense of the word) known from the Early Cretaceous (Albian, c. 100–112 mya) of Australia. Specimens and species The only valid species of ''Nanantius'' is ''Nantantius eos,' '' which was first described in 1986. A supposed second species, ''Nanantius valifanovi,'' has turned out to be a synonym of ''Gobipteryx minuta''. ''N. eos'' was initially only known from an incomplete but elongated tibiotarsus and a cervical (neck) vertebra hailing from the Toolebuc Formation stratum. This holotype tibiotarsus ( QM F12992) was found at Warra Station near Boulia, in Queensland. In 1997, additional fossils from Canary Station in the same area of Australia were also placed into the genus ''Nanantius.'' One of these was a cervical (neck) vertebra, QM F12991, which was assigned to ''Nanantius eos''. The other bone was a partial left tibiotarsus (QM F31813) which was assigned to ''Nanantius'' but not placed wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gobipteryx Minuta
''Gobipteryx'' (from Gobi eferring to the Gobi Desert where it was first discovered and Greek pteryx “wing”) is a genus of prehistoric bird from the Campanian Age of the Late Cretaceous Period.Elżanowski, A. (1974): Preliminary note on the Palaeognthous bird from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia ''Palaeontologia Polonica'' 30. It is not known to have any direct descendants. Like the rest of the enantiornithes clade, ''Gobipteryx'' is thought to have gone extinct near the end of the Cretaceous.Padian, K. (2004). "Basal Avialae". chptr 11, in Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P. and Osmólska, H. (eds.): ''The Dinosauria'' 2nd Edition. University of California Press, Berkeley . Description Based on a skull length of 45 millimeters, ''Gobipteryx'' has been estimated to be approximately the size of a partridge.Elżanowski, A. (1976): Palaeognathous bird from the Cretaceous of Central Asia ''Nature'' 264: 51-53. Its bones are fibrolamellar.Chinsamy, A., Elżanowski, A. (2001): Bone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toolebuc Formation
The Toolebuc Formation is a geological formation that extends from Queensland across South Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia, whose strata date back to the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaurs,Weishampel ''et al.'', 2004, pp.573-574 pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, protostegid turtles, sharks, chimaeroids and bony fish remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. Description Deposition occurred in a cool to temperate inland sea setting and the present lithology is dominantly made up of limey shales with abundant ''Inoceramus'' bivalve shells. Ichthyosaurs and protostegid turtles were the most common marine reptiles at this time in the Eromanga Sea, in contrast to older Aptian deposits such as the Bulldog Shale of South Australia, which show that plesiosaurs were previously more abundant and also more diverse. The Toolebuc Formation is one of the richest known sources of Mesozoic vertebrate fossils in Australia, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enantiornithes
The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans ("birds" in the broad sense), the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over eighty species of Enantiornithes have been named, but some names represent only single bones, so it is likely that not all are valid. The Enantiornithes became extinct at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, along with Hesperornithes and all other non-avian dinosaurs. Discovery and naming The first Enantiornithes to be discovered were incorrectly referred to modern bird groups. For example, the first known species of Enantiornithes, ''Gobipteryx minuta'', was originally considered a paleognath related to ostriches and tinamou. The Enantiornithes were first recognized as a distinct lineage, or "subclass" of birds, by Cyril A. Walker in 1981. Walker mad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queensland Museum
The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist museums located in North Ipswich in Ipswich, East Toowoomba in Toowoomba, and in Townsville City in Townsville. The museum is funded by the Queensland Government. History The Queensland Museum was founded by the Queensland Philosophical Society on 20 January 1862,''"A Time for a Museum — The History of the Queensland Museum — 1862 to 1986"'', — Patricia Mather, published by the Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2001 (originally published as ''"Volume 24"'' of ''"The Memoirs of the Queensland Museum"'') one of the principal founders being Charles Coxen, and had several temporary homes in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The temporary homes included: The Old Windmill (1862–1869), Parliament House (1869 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theropod
Theropoda (; ), whose members are known as theropods, is a dinosaur clade that is characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. Theropods are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs. They were ancestrally carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups evolved to become herbivores and omnivores. Theropods first appeared during the Carnian age of the late Triassic period 231.4 million years ago ( Ma) and included all the large terrestrial carnivores from the Early Jurassic until at least the close of the Cretaceous, about 66 Ma. In the Jurassic, birds evolved from small specialized coelurosaurian theropods, and are today represented by about 10,500 living species. Biology Diet and teeth Theropods exhibit a wide range of diets, from insectivores to herbivores and carnivores. Strict carnivory has always been considered the ancestral diet for theropods as a group, and a wider variety of diets was historically considered a characteri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Blackbird
The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a local species. It breeds in Europe, Asiatic Russia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few of the Asian subspecies are sometimes considered to be full species. Depending on latitude, the common blackbird may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory. The adult male of the common blackbird (''Turdus merula merula'', the nominate subspecies), which is found throughout most of Europe, is all black except for a yellow eye-ring and bill and has a rich, melodious song; the adult female and juvenile have mainly dark brown plumage. This species breeds in woods and gardens, building a neat, cup-shaped nest, bound toge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yungavolucris
''Yungavolucris'' is a genus of enantiornithean birds. It contains the single species ''Yungavolucris brevipedalis'', which lived in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, c.70.6 – 66 mya). The fossil bones were found in the Lecho Formation at ''estancia'' El Brete, Argentina."''Yungavolucris brevipedalis''" means "Short-footed Yungas bird". The generic name, ''Yungavolucris'' is after the Yungas region + the Latin ''volucris'', which translates to "bird" (literally "flyer"). The specific name ''brevipedalis'' is from the Latin ''brevis'', which means "short", + ''pedalis'', from the Latin ''pes'', meaning "foot". Description The only remains of ''Yungavolucris'' discovered so far consist of several tarsometatarsals, of which only the holotype (PVL-4053) is nearly complete. These tarsometatarsals are unusually very stout and flat, and also very wide at the lower end. These specimens are small, just over 4 cm (1.5 inches) long, and if its legs and feet were not excessiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grabauornis
''Grabauornis'' is an extinct genus of enantiornitheans from the Early Cretaceous of China. The type species, ''Grabauornis lingyuanensis'', was named and described in 2014 by Johan Dalsätt, Per Ericson and Zhou Zhonghe. The genus name combines a reference to Amadeus William Grabau with the Greek word , which means bird. The specific name refers to the place where it was found; the city of Lingyuan in the Lianoning province of China. Dalsät already referred to the descriptive article in 2012, before it was published, in his dissertation and the name ''Grabauornis'' was mentioned with it. However it was still an invalid ''nomen ex dissertatione''. In addition, he explicitly stated that he did not want to perform naming acts, if they are not performed validly. The fossil, holotype IVPP V14595, was found in a layer of the Yixian Formation which dates to the Aptian, at an age of 125 million years. The holotype consists of a well-preserved skeleton, compressed onto a single plat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vorona
''Vorona'' ( ; Malagasy for "bird", ''V. berivotrensis'', "from Berivotra") is a monotypic genus of prehistoric birds. It was described from fossils found in a Maevarano Formation quarry near the village of Berivotra, Mahajanga Province, Madagascar. The age of the fossilised specimen is Late Cretaceous, probably Maastrichtian (72.1-66.0 mya). ''V. berivotrensis'' is known from scattered remains, possibly from a single individual ( UA 8651 and FMNH PA715). The phylogenic affinity of ''Vorona'' is hard to determine due to the fragmentary nature of the remains, mainly because the fossil shows a mix of basal avian features as well as some that seem very derived. ''Vorona'' might be a primitive ornithuromorph. At least two studies recovered it as part of Enantiornithes, however. ''Vorona'' is sometimes confused with the dromaeosaur ''Rahonavis ostromi'', a fossil of which was found in the same location. This confusion has led to the common misconception that ''Vorona'' had a dei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarsometatarsus
The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is only found in the lower leg of birds and some non-avian dinosaurs. It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsus (ankle bones) and metatarsal bones (foot). Despite this, the tarsometatarsus of birds is often referred to as just the shank, tarsus or metatarsus. Tarsometatarsal fusion occurred in several ways and extents throughout bird evolution. Specifically, in Neornithes (modern birds), although the bones are joined along their entire length, the fusion is most thorough at the distal (metatarsal) end. In the Enantiornithes, a group of Mesozoic avialans, the fusion was complete at the proximal (tarsal) end, but the distal metatarsi were still partially distinct. While these fused bones are best known from birds and their relatives, avians are neither the only group nor the first to possess tarsometatarsi. In a remarkable case of parallel evolution, they were also pres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apsaravis
''Apsaravis'' is a Mesozoic bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species, ''Apsaravis ukhaana'', lived about 78 million years ago, in the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period. Its fossilized remains were found in the Camel's Humps sublocality of the Djadokhta Formation, at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. They were collected in the 1998 field season by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences/American Museum of Natural History Paleontological Expeditions. It was described by Norell and Clarke (2001).Norell, Mark A., Clarke, Julia A. (2001). "Fossil that fills a critical gap in avian evolution". ''Nature'' Vol. 409 11 January 2001 pp.181-184. Its habitat was presumably very arid open landscape much like it is today, perhaps hotter still and with more (but nonetheless intermittent) rain. Permanent freshwater would have been scarce. Implications ''Apsaravis'' is important in avian paleontology. It has provided evidence that is directly relevant to at leas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction Event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event (also known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction) was a sudden mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million years ago. With the exception of some ectothermic species such as sea turtles and crocodilians, no tetrapods weighing more than survived. It marked the end of the Cretaceous Period, and with it the Mesozoic era, while heralding the beginning of the Cenozoic era, which continues to this day. In the geologic record, the K–Pg event is marked by a thin layer of sediment called the K–Pg boundary, which can be found throughout the world in marine and terrestrial rocks. The boundary clay shows unusually high levels of the metal iridium, which is more common in asteroids than in the Earth's crust. As originally proposed in 1980 by a team of scientists led by Luis Alvarez and his son Walter, it is now generally thought that the K–Pg extinction was cause ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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