| Chunga incerta | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cariamiformes |
| Family: | Cariamidae |
| Genus: | Chunga |
| Species: | †C. incerta |
| Binomial name | |
| †Chunga incerta Tonni, 1974 | |
Chunga incerta is an extinct species of cariamid bird which inhabited the Pliocene of the central-eastern Southern Cone of South America. It belongs to the genus Chunga , today only represented by one species, Chunga burmeisteri.
This species was originally described in 1974 by Argentinian paleontologist Eduardo Pedro Tonni. [1] The holotype is MLP 71-VII-5-1, the distal end of a tibiotarsus. MLP 71-VII-5-2 and MLP 71-VII-5-4 were also collected. These are fragmentary remains of tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus. All of them were deposited in the collection of the museo de ciencias naturales of La Plata, which belongs to the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP). [1] The type locality of C. incerta is the Monte Hermoso Formation, in the Partido de Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires, Argentina. [1] The postulated age for the bearing stratum is Late Pliocene, [2] during the Montehermosan-Chapadmalalan South American land mammal ages, with an approximate age of 3 mya. [3]
Since Chunga incerta is known from little more than a tibiotarsus, little can be inferred of its anatomy. Nevertheless, its mass has been estimated at 1.95 kg, similar to that of the present-day red-legged seriema. [4]
The only living member of the genus Chunga , Chunga burmeisteri , inhabits dry environments, such as savannah, scrubland and dry forest. The presence of Chunga incerta in an area where the genus does not currently inhabit indicates that in the past it had a more southern and eastern austral distribution, probably accompanying different ecological conditions in that area, with warmer temperatures than those currently found in the area. [5] [6]
Phorusrhacids, colloquially known as terror birds, are an extinct clade of large carnivorous flightless birds that were the largest species of apex predators in South America during the Cenozoic era; their conventionally accepted temporal range covers from 62 to 1.8 million years (Ma) ago.
Brontornis is an extinct genus of either anseriforms or giant flightless terror birds (Phorusrhacidae) that inhabited Argentina during the Early to Middle Miocene. Certainly the heaviest of the Phorusrhacidae family, and the birds from the Americas as a whole, it is one of the largest birds that has ever existed.
The black-legged seriema is one of two living species of seriemas in the family Cariamidae. It is found from southeastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay south into north-central Argentina. It is a large, mostly grey bird with a long neck, a long tail, and long, slender black legs. Its belly, vent and thighs are yellowish-white. The sexes look similar, as do immature birds, though the latter are more patterned on head, neck and back. First described for science by Gustav Hartlaub in 1860, it is monotypic, with no subspecies. Like its red-legged cousin, it is an omnivore. It seldom flies, instead pursuing prey and eluding danger on foot. Its loud calls, said to sound like kookaburras, turkeys or yelping dogs, are often given in duet. Little is known about its breeding ecology. It is known to breed in November and December, building a platform nest of sticks and laying two white eggs, which are sometimes marked with a few brownish or purple spots. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates the species as one of least concern, due to its large range and apparently stable numbers.
Eudromia is a genus of birds in the tinamou family. This genus comprises two crested members of this South American family.
Aratinga vorohuensis is a prehistoric relative of the nanday parakeet described from Late Pliocene fossils found in and named after the Vorohué Formation of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1974.
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1970.
Cyonasua is an extinct genus of procyonid from the Late Miocene to Middle Pleistocene of South America. Fossils of Cyonasua have been found in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The oldest well-dated fossils of Cyonasua are approximately 7.3 million years old. Most fossils of Cyonasua are late Miocene to early late Pliocene in age, but a single early Pleistocene specimen indicates that members of this genus survived until at least 0.99 million years ago.
Heterorhea is an extinct genus of ratites in the rhea family. The type species is H. dabbenei. from the Late Pliocene Monte Hermoso Formation, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The holotype of the genus is missing.
Hinasuri is an extinct genus of rhea from the Montehermosan. Its fossils have been found in the Monte Hermoso Formation of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The type species is H. nehuensis. Hinasuri was a robust rheid bird, living at a time of increasingly extreme temperatures and decreased precipitation in the Pampean region during the Pliocene–Pleistocene.
Kelenken is a genus of giant flightless predatory birds of the extinct family Phorusrhacidae, or "terror birds". The type and only species is K. guillermoi, first formally described in 2007 after the find in 1999. It is the largest known member of the family.
Psilopterus is an extinct genus of phorusrhacid from the Middle Oligocene to Late Pleistocene of Argentina and Uruguay. Compared to other phorusrhacids, members of the genus are both relatively gracile and diminutive, and include the smallest known species of terror bird: with the head raised P. bachmanni was 70–80 centimeters (2.3–2.6 ft) in height and weighed about 5 kilograms (11 lb), while the largest members of the genus were only about 7 kilograms (15 lb). The birds resemble the modern cariama, except with a heavier build and considerably smaller wings. The strong morphological similarity between the claws of the predatory cariama and Psilopterus, both of which are sharp, curved, and laterally compressed, may indicate they were used to strike prey. In contrast to the other, larger terror birds, Tonni and Tambussi also suggested Psilopterus could use their claws to climb trees, and could even fly, but this has been rejected in more recent literature. Fossil finds in Uruguay indicate the genus may have survived until 96,040 ± 6,300 years ago, millions of years after the larger phorusrhacids became extinct.
The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene. These periods are referred to as ages, stages, or intervals and were established using geographic place names where fossil materials where obtained.
Eleutherocercus was a genus of glyptodonts that lived during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene in South America. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Huayquerian Ituzaingó Formation and the Montehermosan Monte Hermoso Formation in Argentina.
Chunga is one of two known genera of seriemas in the family Cariamidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It contains one living species, the black-legged seriema. A prehistoric species, Chunga incerta, has been described from the Miocene and Pliocene Monte Hermoso Formation of Argentina.
Diplasiotherium is an extinct genus of herbivore litoptern belongs to the family Proterotheriidae, that lived between the late Miocene and the early Pliocene. The fossils of this animal have been found in Argentina, in the Monte Hermoso Formation.
Pseudoseisuropsis is a genus of extinct birds in the ovenbird family from the Pleistocene of Argentina and Uruguay. The genus was described in 1991 based on disarticulated skeletal elements and a nearly-complete skull. Although originally believed to be closely related to the extant genus Pseudoseisura, phylogenetic analyses suggested a more basal origin within the family.
The Ituzaingó Formation, in older literature also described as Entre Ríos or Entrerriana Formation, is an extensive geological formation of Late Miocene age in the Paraná Basin of the Corrientes, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos Provinces in Mesopotamia, northeastern Argentina. The formation comprises mudstones, cross-bedded sandstones and conglomerates deposited in a fluvio-deltaic environment and is renowned for the preservation of a rich fossil assemblage, including many mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, bivalves, foraminifera, ichnofossils and flora.
The Gaiman Formation, in older literature also referred to as Patagonian Marine Formation, is a fossiliferous geologic formation of the Peninsula Valdés Basin in the eastern Chubut Province of northwestern Patagonia, eastern Argentina.
The Cerro Azul Formation, in the Buenos Aires Province also described as Epecuén Formation, is a geological formation of Late Miocene age in the Colorado Basin of the Buenos Aires and La Pampa Provinces in northeastern Argentina.