Garganornis

Last updated

Garganornis
Temporal range: Late Miocene, 9–5.5  Ma
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
↓
Garganornis-3.jpg
Drawings of Garganornis material discovered from Gargano and Scontrone localities
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus:† Garganornis
Meijer, 2014
Species:
†G. ballmanni
Binomial name
†Garganornis ballmanni
Meijer, 2014

Garganornis (meaning "Gargano bird") is an extinct genus of enormous flightless anatid waterfowl from the Late Miocene of Gargano, Italy. The genus contains one species, G. ballmanni, named by Meijer in 2014. Its enormous size is thought to have been an adaptation to living in exposed, open areas with no terrestrial predators, and as a deterrent to the indigenous aerial predators like the eagle Garganoaetus and the giant barn owl Tyto gigantea .

Contents

Description

Life reconstruction of Garganornis Garganornis ballmanni (reconstruction by Stefano Maugeri).jpg
Life reconstruction of Garganornis

The tibiotarsus of Garganornis is approximately 30% larger than that of the living mute swan in circumference. Based on comparisons with the latter, it has been estimated that Garganornis had a weight in the range of 15–22 kilograms (33–49 lb), larger than any living anatid. This suggests that it was likely flightless. [1]

The preserved carpometacarpi from the wings had quite a short and robust shaft, much shorter than any of the living large-bodied anseriforms that are capable of flight. The carpometacarpus was also peculiarly flattened on its top end; and the trochlea carpalis (a bony articular process that drives wing extension and flexion) is reduced and weak in shape, limiting wrist movement - both likely adaptations to a flightless lifestyle. [2]

In some specimens of Garganornis, there is a small bony knob on the top of the carpometacarpus that is similar to that of swans, geese, ducks, and other anseriforms; this was likely used for fighting, as in other members of the group. [2] [3]

Likewise short and robust was the tarsometatarsus of the foot. The processes known as the trochlea metatarsi II and IV, on the bottom portion of the tarsometatarsus, are more equal in length than most other anseriforms, with the exception of the Cape Barren goose, screamers, and the giant, extinct Cygnus falconeri . The phalanx bones of the toes are also relatively robust, and similar to other giant anseriforms; however, the impressions of ligaments on the bones are weaker and less defined. [2]

Discovery and naming

Map of Italy showing location of Gargano and Scontrone localities Garganornis-1.jpg
Map of Italy showing location of Gargano and Scontrone localities

The first remains of Garganornis were discovered from the Posticchia 5 fissure filling near the town of Apricena in Gargano, Italy. These deposits are part of the Miocene Mikrotia faunal assemblage (named after an abundant murid rodent), which has been dated to 6–5.5 Ma in age. The holotype consists of a single partial left tibiotarsus, catalogued as RGM 443307, which was described by Meijer in 2014. [1]

Additional material was later described from Gargano by Pavia et al. in 2016, consisting of partial carpometacarpi (DSTF-GA 49, NMA 504/1801), a single damaged tibiotarsus (DSTF-GA 77), partial tarsometatarsi (RGM 425554, RGM 425943), and various phalanx bones from the foot (MGPT-PU 135356, RGM 261535, RGM 261945). Additionally, some geologically earlier but morphologically comparable material was described from the Scontrone locality, which is close to the town of Scontrone and has been dated to 9 Ma in age. This material consists of an almost complete tarsometatarsus, SCT 23; although it is temporally separated from the other material, the morphology and unusually large size of the bone suggests that it pertains to Garganornis. [2]

The genus name Garganornis is derived from the general area of Gargano, in which the holotype fossils were discovered; the Greek suffix ornis means "bird". The species name honors Peter Ballmann, who first described the birds of the Gargano region. [1]

Classification

Several characteristics of the tibiotarsus allow Garganornis to be placed definitely in the order Anseriformes: the medial condyle is angled medially and bears a projection at its front end; and the canal of the extensor tendon is placed centrally over the intercondylar fossa. [1] Features of the carpometacarpus allow for a more specific assignment to the family Anatidae: the extensor process is parallel to the trochlea carpalis and is not tilted towards the bottom; the pisiform process is wide and unpointed; and a small knob is present above the caudal carpal fovea. [2]

Garganornis peculiarly shares a number of characteristics in the tibiotarsus with another group of large anseriforms, the Gastornithidae. [4] In particular, the intercondylar fossa is wide, the bottom opening of the extensor canal is circular (although it is placed more centrally relative to the condyles than in gastornithids), the extensor sulcus is relatively deep, and the pons supratendineus (a projection above the opening of the extensor canal) has a depression on its side. [1] However, given that gastornithids and other Paleogene fauna do not appear to have survived in - or even reached - this region, it is more likely that these shared traits are convergent adaptations to gigantic body sizes. [2]

Paleoecology

Mammals of the Mikrotia fauna: Hoplitomeryx (A) and Deinogalerix (B, to scale with Erinaceus europaeus, the European hedgehog) Gargano fauna.jpg
Mammals of the Mikrotia fauna: Hoplitomeryx (A) and Deinogalerix (B, to scale with Erinaceus europaeus , the European hedgehog)

Surveys conducted by P. Ballmann in the 1970s revealed a diverse bird fauna in the Gargano locality, consisting of 16 different taxa; [5] later work established the presence of 10 additional distinct taxa (not including Garganornis), bringing the total to 26. [6] These include the anatids Anas cf. velox and an additional unnamed anatid; [7] the giant eagles Garganoaetus freudenthali and G. murivorus, [5] as well as an unnamed smaller accipitrid; [6] the phasianid Palaeortyx volans ; [8] the owls Tyto robusta , T. gigantea , "Strix" perpasta , [5] another species referred to Strix, an additional species referred to Athene , and an unnamed taxon formerly referred to T. sanctialbani; [6] the pigeon Columba omnisanctorum ; the swift Apus wetmorei ; [5] the sandpipers Calidris sp. and an unnamed taxon; [7] a threskiornithid; a woodpecker; a songbird; two rails; two charadriiforms; a bustard; a mousebird; and a corvid. [6] To date, Garganornis is the only bird that is found in both the Gargano and Scontrone localities; the lack of other Gargano birds in Scontrone is probably a result of taphonomic bias. [2]

Asides from birds, various mammals and reptiles are known from the Gargano and Scontrone localities. Most notably, the giant murid Mikrotia (including M. magna, M. parva, and M. maiuscula) is very abundant; the genus lends its name to the entire local ecosystem, which has become known as the Mikrotia fauna. [9] [10] A second murid, Apodemus sp., is also present. Other rodents include the giant dormice Stertomys laticrestatus , S. daunius, and S. lyrifer, along with the smaller species S. deguili, S. simplex, and S. daamsi; [11] [10] [12] and the hamsters Hattomys gargantua , H. nazarii, [11] [10] [12] Neocricetodon sp., and Apocricetus sp. [11] The gymnures (hairy hedgehogs) Deinogalerix freudenthalli , D. minor, D. intermedius, D. brevirostris, D. koenigswaldi, and D. masinii were also giant, [11] [12] while their smaller relative Apulogalerix cf. pusillus is also present. [10] Other mammals include the crocidosoricine shrew Lartetium cf. dehmi ; [10] the pikas Prolagus apricenicus and P. imperialis; [11] the deer-like hoplitomerycid Hoplitomeryx mathei ; and the otter Paralutra garganensis . [12] There is one reptile genus: a crocodile referred to Crocodylus . [13]

Garganornis and the rest of the Mikrotia fauna has been dated to the Tortonian stage of the Late Miocene. [12] During the Miocene, the Gargano and Scontrone areas were part of an isolated archipelago that has been referred to as the Apulia-Abruzzi Palaeobioprovince. [14] Small mammals, including the gymnure ancestors of Deinogalerix, probably reached these islands via rafting. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatidae</span> Biological family of water birds

The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating on the water surface, and in some cases diving in at least shallow water. The family contains around 174 species in 43 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anseriformes</span> Order of water birds

Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae, Anseranatidae, and Anatidae, the largest family, which includes over 170 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans. Most modern species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at the water surface. With the exception of screamers, males have penises, a trait that has been lost in the Neoaves. Due to their aquatic nature, most species are web-footed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anseranatidae</span> Family of birds

Anseranatidae, the magpie-geese, is a biological family of waterbirds. The only living species, the magpie goose, is a resident breeder in northern Australia and in southern New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gargano</span> Historical and geographical region of Italy

Gargano is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea, the "spur" on the Italian "boot". The high point is Monte Calvo at 1,065 m (3,494 ft). Most of the upland area, about 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi), is part of the Gargano National Park, founded in 1991. In this region since 1978 a feud has been fought between the clans of the Società foggiana.

<i>Deinogalerix</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Deinogalerix is an extinct genus of gymnure which lived in Italy in the Late Miocene, 7-10 million years ago. The genus was apparently endemic to what was then the island of Gargano, which is now a peninsula. The first specimens of Deinogalerix were first described in 1972.

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

Brontornis is an extinct genus of giant bird that inhabited Argentina during the Early to Middle Miocene. Its taxonomic position is highly controversial, with authors alternatively considering it to be a cariamiform, typically a phorusrhacid or an anserimorph.

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

Yungavolucris is a genus of enantiornithean birds. It contains the single species Yungavolucris brevipedalis, which lived in the Late Cretaceous. 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". The specific name brevipedalis is from the Latin brevis, which means "short", + pedalis, from the Latin pes, meaning "foot".

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

The Pelagornithidae, commonly called pelagornithids, pseudodontorns, bony-toothed birds, false-toothed birds or pseudotooth birds, are a prehistoric family of large seabirds. Their fossil remains have been found all over the world in rocks dating between the Early Paleocene and the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary.

<i>Tyto robusta</i> Extinct species of bird

Tyto robusta was a prehistoric barn-owl. It lived at what is now Monte Gargano in Italy, and was an island throughout much of the Neogene when sea levels were higher. The owl's remains date back to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary 5.5 to 5 million years ago. The fossil bones are about 60% as long again as a modern barn owl, giving a total length of about 50–65 cm for T. robusta. This owl provides an interesting case study of evolution and insular gigantism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastornithiformes</span> Extinct order of birds

Gastornithiformes were an extinct order of giant flightless fowl with fossils found in North America, Eurasia, and possibly Australia. Members of Gastornithidae were long considered to be a part of the order Gruiformes. However, the traditional concept of Gruiformes has since been shown to be an unnatural grouping.

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

Paraphysornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless terror birds that inhabited Brazil during Late Oligocene or Early Miocene epochs. Although not the tallest phorusrhacid, Paraphysornis was a notably robust bird, having short and robust tarsal bones not suited for pursuit hunting.

<i>Hoplitomeryx</i> Extinct genus of deer

Hoplitomeryx is a genus of extinct deer-like ruminants which lived on the former Gargano Island during the Miocene and the Early Pliocene, now a peninsula on the east coast of South Italy. Hoplitomeryx, also known as "prongdeer", had five horns and sabre-like upper canines similar to a modern musk deer.

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

Kelenken is a genus of phorusrhacid, an extinct group of large, predatory birds, which lived in what is now Argentina in the middle Miocene about 15 million years ago. The only known specimen was discovered by high school student Guillermo Aguirre-Zabala in Comallo, in the region of Patagonia, and was made the holotype of the new genus and species Kelenken guillermoi in 2007. The genus name references a spirit in Tehuelche mythology, and the specific name honors the discoverer. The holotype consists of one of the most complete skulls known of a large phorusrhacid, as well as a tarsometatarsus lower leg bone and a phalanx toe bone. The discovery of Kelenken clarified the anatomy of large phorusrhacids, as these were previously much less well known. The closest living relatives of the phorusrhacids are the seriemas. Kelenken was found to belong in the subfamily Phorusrhacinae, along with for example Devincenzia.

Eremopezus is a prehistoric bird genus, possibly a palaeognath. It is known only from the fossil remains of a single species, the huge and presumably flightless Eremopezus eocaenus. This was found in Upper Eocene Jebel Qatrani Formation deposits around the Qasr el Sagha escarpment, north of the Birket Qarun lake near Faiyum in Egypt. The rocks its fossils occur in were deposited in the Priabonian, with the oldest dating back to about 36 million years ago (Ma) and the youngest not less than about 33 Ma.

<i>Leptoptilos robustus</i> Extinct species of stork

Leptoptilos robustus is an extinct species of large-bodied stork belonging to the genus Leptoptilos that lived on the island of Flores in Indonesia during the Pleistocene epoch. It stood at about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) tall and weighed up to an estimated 16 kilograms (35 lb). The majority of the discoveries are concentrated in Liang Bua cave located slightly north of Ruteng in the East Nusa Tenggara province.

Bradley Curtis Livezey was an American ornithologist with scores of publications. His main research included the evolution of flightless birds, the systematics of birds, and the ecology and behaviour of steamer ducks.

<i>Bambolinetta</i> Fossil genus of waterfowl from the Late Miocene of Italy

Bambolinetta lignitifila is a fossil species of waterfowl from the Late Miocene of Italy, now classified as the sole member of the genus Bambolinetta. First described in 1884 as a typical dabbling duck, it was not revisited until 2014, when a study showed it to be a highly unusual duck species, probably a flightless, wing-propelled diver similar to a penguin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odontoanserae</span> Clade of birds

The Odontoanserae is a proposed clade that includes the family Pelagornithidae and the clade Anserimorphae. The placement of the pseudo-toothed birds in the evolutionary tree of birds has been problematic, with some supporting the placement of them near the orders Procellariformes and Pelecaniformes based on features in the sternum.

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

Allgoviachen is an extinct genus of anatid bird from the Late Miocene (Tortonian) Hammerschmiede clay pits of Bavaria, Germany. The genus contains a single species, A. tortonica, known from bones belonging to the left leg.

Annakacygna is a genus of flightless marine swan from the Miocene of Japan. Named in 2022, Annakacygna displays a series of unique adaptations setting it apart from any other known swan, including a filter feeding lifestyle, a highly mobile tail and wings that likely formed a cradle for their hatchlings in a fashion similar to modern mute swans. Additionally, it may have used both wings and tail as a form of display. All of these traits combined have led the researchers working on it to dub it "the ultimate bird". Two species are known, A. hajimei, which was approximately the size of a black swan, and A. yoshiiensis which exceeded the mute swan in both size and weight. The describing authors proposed the vernacular name Annaka short-winged swan for the genus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Meijer, H.J.M. (2014). "A peculiar anseriform (Aves: Anseriformes) from the Miocene of Gargano (Italy)". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (1): 19–26. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2013.08.001.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pavia, M.; Meijer, H.J.M.; Rossi, M.A.; Göhlich, U.B. (2017). "The extreme insular adaptation of Garganornis ballmanni Meijer, 2014: a giant Anseriformes of the Neogene of the Mediterranean Basin". Royal Society Open Science. 4 (1): 160722. Bibcode:2017RSOS....460722P. doi:10.1098/rsos.160722. PMC   5319340 . PMID   28280574.
  3. ↑ Hume, J.P.; Steel, L. (2013). "Fight club: a unique weapon in the wing of the solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria (Aves: Columbidae), an extinct flightless bird from Rodrigues, Mascarene Islands". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 110 (1): 32–44. doi: 10.1111/bij.12087 .
  4. ↑ Buffetaut, E. (2008). "First evidence of the giant bird Gastornis from southern Europe: a tibiotarsus from the Lower Eocene of Saint-Papoul (Aude, southern France)" (PDF). Oryctos. 7: 75–82.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ballmann, P. (1976). "Fossile Vögel aus dem Neogen der Halbinsel Gargano (Italien), zweiter Teil" [Fossil Birds from the Neogene of Gargano Peninsula (Italy), part two]. Scripta Geologica. 38: 1–59.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pavia, M. Fossil birds from the Neogene of the Gargano (Apulia, SE Italy). Neogene Park: Vertebrate Migration in the Mediterranean & Paratethys. Scontrone: RCMNS Interim Colloquium. pp. 78–80.
  7. 1 2 Pavia, M. (2013). "The Anatidae and Scolopacidae (Aves: Anseriformes, Charadriiformes) from the late Neogene of Gargano, Italy". Geobios. 46 (1): 43–48. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2012.10.013.
  8. ↑ Göhlich, U.B.; Pavia, M. (2008). "A new species of Palaeortyx (Aves: Galliformes: Phasianidae) from the Neogene of Gargano, Italy" (PDF). Oryctos. 7: 95–108.
  9. ↑ Freudenthal, M. (1973). "Rodent stratigraphy of some Miocene fissure fillings in Gargano (prov. Foggia, Italy)". Scripta Geologica. 37: 1–23.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Masini, F.; Rinaldi, P.M.; Savorelli, A.; Pavia, M. (2013). "A new small mammal assemblage from the M013 Terre Rosse fissure filling (Gargano, South-Eastern Italy)". Geobios. 46 (1): 49–61. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2012.10.003.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Masini, F.; Rinaldi, P.M.; Petruso, D.; Surdi, G. (2010). "The Gargano Terre Rosse faunas: an overview". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologica e Stratigrafia. 116 (3): 421–435.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Freudenthal, M.; van den Hoek Ostende, L.W.; Martín-Suárez, E. (2013). "When and how did the Mikrotia fauna reach Gargano (Apulia, Italy)?". Geobios. 46 (1): 105–109. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2012.10.004.
  13. ↑ Delfino, M.; Rossi, M.A. (2013). "Fossil crocodylid remains from Scontrone (Tortonian, Southern Italy) and the late Neogene Mediterranean biogeography of crocodylians". Geobios. 46 (1): 25–31. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2012.10.006. hdl: 2318/130008 .
  14. ↑ Masini, F.; Petruso, D.; Bonfiglio, L.; Mangano, G. (2008). "Origination and extinction patterns of mammals in three central Western Mediterranean islands from the Late Miocene to Quaternary" (PDF). Quaternary International. 182 (1): 63–79. Bibcode:2008QuInt.182...63M. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.09.020. hdl: 10447/36974 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.