Gigantornis: Difference between revisions

Gigantornis
Conservation status
	Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Subclass:	Neornithes
Infraclass:	Neognathae
Order:	Odontopterygiformes
Family:	Pelagornithidae
Genus:	†Gigantornis (disputed); Andrews, 1916
Species:	G. eaglesomei
Binomial name
	Gigantornis eaglesomei; Andrews, 1916

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Revision as of 03:06, 6 August 2009

Gigantornis is a genus (of somewhat doubtful validity) of the prehistoric pseudotooth birds. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty. Only a single species, Gigantornis eaglesomei, is known to date. One of the largest pseudotooth birds, with an inferred wingspan of about 6 m (20 ft) it was also one of the largest birds ever.^[1]

Its identified remains consist of a broken sternum found in Middle Eocene Ameki Formation deposits at Ameki (Nigeria). The fossil bird was considered to belong the albatross family (Diomedeidae), as no sterna of pseudotooth birds were known until its discovery, and it remained the only such specimen for decades. Only in the 1970s its true affinities were realized, after it had become clear that although it must have been from a dynamic soarer with wings like an albatross, it resembled pelicans (order Pelecaniformes) rather than tubenoses (order Procellariiformes, to which albatrosses belong) in some details.^[2]

It is not known whether this bird belongs to a distinct genus; it might even be the very same species as the similar-sized Dasornis emuinus, whose fossils are not uncommon in the Ypresian (Early Eocene) London Clay of the Isle of Sheppey (England). Remains of a large pseudotooth bird were also found in the Middle Eocene of Togo, but have not been studied in detail; they are likely to shed at least some light on the taxonomic status of G. eaglesomei.^[3]

Footnotes

^ Olson (1985: p.200), Bourdon (2005), Mayr (2009: p.59), Mayr et al. (2008)
^ Brodkorb (1963: p.241), Olson (1985: p.196), Mayr (2009: p.56,58)
^ Mayr (2009: p.56)

References

Andrews, C.W. (1916): Note on the sternum of a large carinate bird from the Eocene of Southern Nigeria. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1916: 519–524.
Bourdon, Estelle (2005): Osteological evidence for sister group relationship between pseudo-toothed birds (Aves: Odontopterygiformes) and waterfowls (Anseriformes). Naturwissenschaften 92(12): 586–591. doi:10.1007/s00114-005-0047-0 (HTML abstract) Electonic supplement (requires subscription)
Brodkorb, Pierce (1963): Catalogue of fossil birds. Part 1 (Archaeopterygiformes through Ardeiformes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 7(4): 179-293. PDF or JPEG fulltext
Mayr, Gerald (2009): Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg & New York. ISBN 3540896279
Mayr, Gerald; Hazevoet, Cornelis J.; Dantas, Pedro; & Cachāo, Mário (2008): A sternum of a very large bony-toothed bird (Pelagornithidae) from the Miocene of Portugal. J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 28(3): 762-769. DOI:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[762:ASOAVL]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract

This prehistoric bird article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Olson (1985: p.200), Bourdon (2005), Mayr (2009: p.59), Mayr et al. (2008)

[2] Brodkorb (1963: p.241), Olson (1985: p.196), Mayr (2009: p.56,58)

[3] Mayr (2009: p.56)

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Unreferenced|date=February 2009}}
 {{Taxobox
-| name = Gigantornis eaglesomei
+| name = ''Gigantornis''
-| status = Fossil
+| status = fossil
 | regnum = [[Animal]]ia
-| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
+| phylum = [[Chordata]]
-| classis = [[bird|Aves]]
+| classis = [[Aves]]
-| ordo = [[Procellariiformes]]
+| subclassis = [[Neornithes]]
+| infraclassis = [[Neognathae]]
+| ordo = Odontopterygiformes<!-- monotypic, don't link -->
 | familia = [[Pelagornithidae]]
-| genus = †'' Gigantornis ''
+| genus = †'''''Gigantornis''''' <small>(disputed)</small>
-|genus_authority = [[Roy Chapman Andrews|Andrews]], 1916
+| genus_authority = Andrews, 1916
+| species = '''''G. eaglesomei'''''
-| subdivision_ranks = Species
+| binomial = ''Gigantornis eaglesomei''
-| subdivision =
+| binomial_authority = Andrews, 1916
-''[[Gigantornis eaglesomei]]''}}
+}}
-'''''Gigantornis''''' is an extinct genus of [[pelagornithidae]]. It was first named by Andrews in 1916. One member of this group, ''[[Gigantornis eaglesomei]]'', had a twenty-foot wingspan and was one of the largest birds ever.
+'''''Gigantornis''''' is a [[genus]] (of somewhat doubtful validity) of the [[prehistoric]] [[pseudotooth bird]]s. These were probably rather close relatives of either [[pelican]]s and [[stork]]s, or of [[waterfowl]], and are here placed in the [[order (biology)|order]] Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty. Only a single [[species]], '''''Gigantornis eaglesomei''''', is known to date. One of the largest pseudotooth birds, with an [[inference|inferred]] wingspan of about 6 m (20 ft) it was also one of the [[Largest prehistoric organisms#Birds (Aves)|largest birds ever]].<ref>Olson (1985: p.200), Bourdon (2005), Mayr (2009: p.59), Mayr ''et al.'' (2008)</ref>
-==External links==
-* [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=39662&is_real_user=1 ''Gigantornis''] at the [[Paleobiology Database]]
+Its identified remains consist of a broken [[sternum]] found in [[Middle Eocene]] [[Ameki Formation]] deposits at [[Ameki]] ([[Nigeria]]). The [[fossil]] bird was considered to belong the [[albatross]] [[family (biology)|family]] (Diomedeidae), as no sterna of pseudotooth birds were known until its discovery, and it remained the only such specimen for decades. Only in the 1970s its true affinities were realized, after it had become clear that although it must have been from a [[dynamic soarer]] with wings like an albatross, it resembled pelicans ([[order (biology)|order]] Pelecaniformes) rather than [[tubenose]]s (order Procellariiformes, to which albatrosses belong) in some details.<ref>Brodkorb (1963: p.241), Olson (1985: p.196), Mayr (2009: p.56,58)</ref>
-{{Paleo-bird-stub}}
+It is not known whether this bird belongs to a distinct genus; it might even be the very same species as the similar-sized ''[[Dasornis emuinus]]'', whose fossils are not uncommon in the [[Ypresian]] (Early Eocene) [[London Clay]] of the [[Isle of Sheppey]] ([[England]]). Remains of a large pseudotooth bird were also found in the Middle Eocene of [[Togo]], but have not been studied in detail; they are likely to shed at least some light on the [[taxonomic]] status of ''G. eaglesomei''.<ref>Mayr (2009: p.56)</ref>
+==Footnotes==
+{{Reflist}}
+==References==
+{{portal|Paleontology}}
+* {{aut|Andrews, C.W.}} (1916): Note on the sternum of a large carinate bird from the Eocene of Southern Nigeria. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' '''1916''': 519–524.
+* {{aut|Bourdon, Estelle}} (2005): Osteological evidence for sister group relationship between pseudo-toothed birds (Aves: Odontopterygiformes) and waterfowls (Anseriformes). ''[[Naturwissenschaften]]'' '''92'''(12): 586–591. <small>{{doi|10.1007/s00114-005-0047-0}}</small> (HTML abstract) [http://www.springerlink.com/content/fr1n143vh9728174/114_2005_Article_47_ESM.html Electonic supplement] (requires subscription)
+* {{aut|[[Pierce Brodkorb|Brodkorb, Pierce]]}} (1963): Catalogue of fossil birds. Part 1 (Archaeopterygiformes through Ardeiformes). ''Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences'' '''7'''(4): 179-293. [http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=feol&idno=UF00001514&format=pdf PDF or JPEG fulltext]
+* {{aut|Mayr, Gerald}} (2009): ''Paleogene Fossil Birds''. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg & New York. <small>ISBN 3540896279</small>
+* {{aut|Mayr, Gerald; Hazevoet, Cornelis J.; Dantas, Pedro; & Cachāo, Mário}} (2008): A sternum of a very large bony-toothed bird (Pelagornithidae) from the Miocene of Portugal. ''[[Society of Vertebrate Paleontology|J. Vertebr. Paleontol.]]'' '''28'''(3): 762-769. <small>[[Digital Object Identifier|DOI]]:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[762:ASOAVL]2.0.CO;2</small> [http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28%5B762%3AASOAVL%5D2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=vrpa HTML abstract]
+{{paleo-bird-stub}}
+[[Category:Megafauna of Africa]]
+[[Category:Pelagornithidae]]
+[[Category:Eocene birds]]