Pengornis
| Pengornis | ||||||||
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||
| Lower Cretaceous ( Aptium ) | ||||||||
| approx. 120 million years | ||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Pengornis | ||||||||
| Zhou , Clarke & Zhang 2014 | ||||||||
| Art | ||||||||
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Pengornis is an extinct genus of the enantiornithes . The generic name is a combination of peng , a giant bird from Chinese mythology , and the ancient Greek ornis "bird".
The only known species is called Pengornis houi . The species name honors the paleontologist Lianhai Hou.
It was named and described in 2008 by Zhou Zhong-He, Julia Clarke and Zhang Fucheng.
remains
The fossil (holotype IVPP V15336) was discovered in the Jiufotang Formation , which lies in what is now China. It is estimated to be around 120 million years old and thus lie in the Lower Cretaceous ( Aptian ). The specimen consists of a partially articulated skeleton with skull , without sternum, pelvis and the left arm.
The copy IVPP V18632 was indeed only in 2014 the Pengornis allocated, this was revoked but, 2015. It is now declared as a parapenic horn .
The remains are kept on individual plates and are currently in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.
Holotype IVPP V15336
The pygostyle is elongated with transverse processes that are fused together over their entire length. The weight was first estimated at 440 grams and later improved to 235 grams. The vertebrae have deep lateral hollows. The humerus has a flattened, spherical head.
particularities
Pengornis were about 30 cm tall. In 2008 it was the largest member of the enantiorniths known from the Lower Cretaceous. The front legs were significantly longer than the rear legs.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Zhou Zhong-He, Julia Clarke, Fucheng Zhang: Insight into diversity, body size and morphological evolution from the largest Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird . In: Journal of Anatomy . April 8, 2008. doi : 10.1111 / j.1469-7580.2008.00880.x .