Falcatakely

Last updated

Falcatakely
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian
Falcatakely restoration.jpg
Life restoration of Falcatakely forsterae as an enantiornithean
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Ornithothoraces
Clade: Enantiornithes
Genus: Falcatakely
O'Connor et al., 2020
Species:
F. forsterae
Binomial name
Falcatakely forsterae
O'Connor et al., 2020

Falcatakely (meaning "small scythe" from the Latin falcatus and Malagasy kely, in reference to the shape of the beak) is an extinct genus of enantiornithean bird known from partial fossils from northern Madagascar. The genus contains a single species, Falcatakely forsterae. [1] [2]

Contents

Description

Falcatakely was a crow-sized stem-bird that can be distinguished from all other enantiornitheans by its deep, long rostrum approx. 9 centimetres (3.5 inch) in length, which is slightly reminiscent of that of a toucan. Despite this resemblance, the upper jaw had more in common with that of the non-avian theropoda in being dominated by a large maxilla, while the smaller premaxilla made up the tip of the rostrum. This is the opposite arrangement of what we see in modern birds, where the upper beak is dominated by the premaxilla, which in Falcatakely still had teeth. [1] [3]

Classification

The describers' phylogenetic analyses all place Falcatakely in the Enantiornithes, though its precise position is unclear. It has been recovered as a basal enantiornithean, the sister taxon of Pengornis , and in a polytomy with many other enantiornitheans. [1]

Paleoenvironment

Falcatakely is known from the Maevarano Formation, then a swampy floodplain which seasonally alternated between being swampland in the wet season and dry semi-desert during the dry season; it was home to other unusual animals such as Simosuchus , a herbivorous crocodylomorph, Masiakasaurus , a short-armed, buck-toothed theropod, and Adalatherium , a highly unusual mammal. These forms may have evolved due to Madagascar being an isolated island during the Cretaceous. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Masiakasaurus</i> Noasaurid theropod dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous period

Masiakasaurus is a genus of small predatory noasaurid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. In Malagasy, masiaka means "vicious"; thus, the genus name means "vicious lizard". The type species, Masiakasaurus knopfleri, was named after the musician Mark Knopfler, whose music inspired the expedition crew. It was named in 2001 by Scott D. Sampson, Matthew Carrano, and Catherine A. Forster. Unlike most theropods, the front teeth of M. knopfleri projected forward instead of straight down. This unique dentition suggests that they had a specialized diet, perhaps including fish and other small prey. Other bones of the skeleton indicate that Masiakasaurus were bipedal, with much shorter forelimbs than hindlimbs. M. knopfleri was a small theropod, reaching 1.8–2.1 m (5.9–6.9 ft) long and weighing 20 kg (44 lb).

<i>Majungasaurus</i> Abelisaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period

Majungasaurus is a genus of abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Madagascar from 70 to 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period, making it one of the last-known non-avian dinosaurs that went extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The genus contains a single species, Majungasaurus crenatissimus. This dinosaur is also called Majungatholus, a name which is considered a junior synonym of Majungasaurus.

<i>Erlikosaurus</i> Extinct genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Erlikosaurus is a genus of therizinosaurid that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. The fossils, a skull and some post-cranial fragments, were found in the Bayan Shireh Formation of Mongolia in 1972, dating to around 96 million and 89 million years ago. These remains were later described by Altangerel Perle and Rinchen Barsbold in 1980, naming the new genus and species Erlikosaurus andrewsi. It represents the second therizinosaur taxon from this formation with the most complete skull among members of this peculiar family of dinosaurs.

<i>Mahajangasuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Mahajangasuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform which had blunt, conical teeth. The type species, M. insignis, lived during the Late Cretaceous; its fossils have been found in the Maevarano Formation in northern Madagascar. It was a fairly large predator, measuring up to 4 metres (13 ft) long.

<i>Concornis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Concornis is a genus of enantiornithean birds which lived during the early Cretaceous period, in the late Barremian age about 125 million years ago. Its remains are known from the Calizas de La Huérgina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca province, Spain. The single known species, Concornis lacustris, was described from the remains of one fairly complete individual skeleton.

<i>Cuspirostrisornis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Cuspirostrisornis is a genus of enantiornithean bird. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi, though some researchers believe this to be a synonym of the similar species Cathayornis yandica. It is known from one fossil found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang Formation is dated to the Early Cretaceous period, Aptian age, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago.

Largirostrornis is a genus of enantiornithean bird. One species has been named, Largirostornis sexdentoris. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Some researchers believe this species to be a junior synonym of the similar Cathayornis yandica.

<i>Thalattosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Thalattosaurus meaning "sea lizard," from the Attic Greek thalatta (θάλαττα), "sea," and sauros (σαῦρος), "lizard," is an extinct genus of marine reptile in the family Thalattosauroidea. They were aquatic diapsids that are known exclusively from the Triassic period. It was a 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) long shellfish-eating reptile with paddle-like limbs and a down-turned rostrum occurring in the Lower and Middle Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation of British Columbia as well as the Upper Triassic Hosselkus Limestone of California. It has gained notoriety as a result of studies on general diapsid phylogeny.

<i>Shanweiniao</i> Extinct genus of birds

Shanweiniao is a genus of long-snouted enantiornithean birds from Early Cretaceous China. One species is known, Shanweiniao cooperorum. There is one known fossil, a slab and counterslab. The fossil is in the collection of the Dalian Natural History Museum, and has accession number DNHM D1878/1 and DNHM1878/2. It was collected from the Lower Cretaceous Dawangzhengzi Beds, middle Yixian Formation, from Lingyuan in the Liaoning Province, China.

<i>Peirosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Peirosaurus is an extinct genus of peirosaurid crocodylomorph known from the Late Cretaceous period of Minas Gerais, southern Brazil. It contains a single species, Peirosaurus torminni. It is the type genus of the family Peirosauridae.

<i>Xixiasaurus</i> Genus of dinosaur

Xixiasaurus is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period in what is now China. The only known specimen was discovered in Xixia County, Henan Province, in central China, and became the holotype of the new genus and species Xixiasaurus henanensis in 2010. The names refer to the areas of discovery, and can be translated as "Henan Xixia lizard". The specimen consists of an almost complete skull, part of the lower jaw, and teeth, as well as a partial right forelimb.

Longicrusavis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph bird found only at Dawangzhangzi village in Liaoning Province, China. Longicrusavis was a ground dwelling carnivore, a wader, and part of biological family Hongshanornithidae, considered to have been a dominant species in the Jehol Biota, the prehistoric Chinese ecosystem which supported them. The name Hongshanornithidae represents one of China's oldest recorded cultures in the region, the Hongshan culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longipterygidae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Longipterygidae is a family of early enantiornithean avialans from the Early Cretaceous epoch of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation and Yixian Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 125-120 million years ago.

<i>Campinasuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Campinasuchus is an extinct genus of baurusuchid mesoeucrocodylian from Minas Gerais State of Brazil.

<i>Sulcavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Sulcavis is a genus of enantiornithean birds. One species is named, Sulcavis geeorum. The fossil was found in Early Cretaceous rocks in Liaoning Province, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pengornithidae</span> Extinct family of birds

Pengornithidae is a group of early enantiornithines from the early Cretaceous Period of China, with the putative member Falcatakely possibly extending this clade's range into the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, and several putative pengornithids also hail from this formation. Specimens of these animals have been found both in the Huajiying Formation and Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning and Hebei provinces, dating from the Hauterivian age to the Aptian age.

<i>Cruralispennia</i> Extinct genus of birds

Cruralispennia is an extinct genus of enantiornithean bird. The only known specimen of Cruralispennia was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Huajiying Formation of China and formally described in 2017. The type species of Cruralispennia is Cruralispennia multidonta. The generic name is Latin for "shin feather", while the specific name means "many-toothed". The holotype of Cruralispennia is IVPP 21711, a semi-articulated partial skeleton surrounded by the remains of carbonized feathers.

<i>Chiappeavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Chiappeavis is a genus of enantiornithean bird from Early Cretaceous of northeastern China. The only species is Chiappeavis magnapremaxillo. Chiappeavis is classified within the family Pengornithidae. It is known from a single, almost complete skeleton including feather impressions discovered in the Jiufotang Formation of the Jehol Group. Long feathers formed a fan-shaped tail that was probably employed in flight.

<i>Leptostomia</i> Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Cretaceous period

Leptostomia is a genus of long-beaked pterosaur from the mid-Cretaceous (?Albian-Cenomanian) of Morocco, North Africa. The type species is L. begaaensis, which was named and described in 2021 from sediments of the Kem Kem Group in Morocco. It was a small animal with a long, slender bill which is thought to have been used to probe sediments for worms and other invertebrates, similar to kiwi birds and curlews. Leptostomia is likely a member of the Azhdarchoidea.

<i>Yuornis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Yuornis is an extinct genus of enantiornithine bird known from the Late Cretaceous of Henan, China. It contains one species, Yuornis junchangi, named after the late Lü Junchang.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 O'Connor, P. M.; Turner, A. H.; Groenke, J. R.; et al. (2020). "Late Cretaceous bird from Madagascar reveals unique development of beaks". Nature. doi : 10.1038/s41586-020-2945-x
  2. Black, Riley. "Tiny toucan-like bird with a single tooth flew during the dinosaur era". New Scientist. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. Cretaceous-Period Bird from Madagascar Had Sickle-Shaped Beak