Andalgalornis
Andalgalornis | |
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CT scan of the skull of P 14357, holotype of A. ferox in the collections of the Field Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Cariamiformes |
Family: | †Phorusrhacidae |
Subfamily: | † Patagornithinae
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Genus: | †Andalgalornis Patterson & Kraglievich, 1960 |
Species: | †A. steulleti
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Binomial name | |
†Andalgalornis steulleti (Kraglievich, 1931)
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Synonyms | |
List
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Andalgalornis is a
Taxonomy
Andalgalornis is known from an incomplete skeleton and some single bones found from sites in the Entre Ríos and Catamarca Provinces of northeast and northwest Argentina. The fossils were uncovered from the Late Miocene (Huayquerian in the SALMA classification) Ituzaingó Formation of the Paraná Basin.[1]
The following cladogram shows the position of Andalgalornis following a 2015 analysis:[2]
Phorusrhacidae |
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Description
Around 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) tall in height, Andalgalornis is estimated to have weighed around 40 kilograms (88 lb),[3] on the basis of the methodology proposed by Campbell and Marcus (1992).[4] The subfamily to which the genus belonged, the Patagornithinae, contained species that were of quite slender build; it looked much like the larger phorusrhacid Phorusrhacos, but it was more elegant and smaller and had a proportionally higher beak, the most massive in proportion to body size of all phorusrhacids.
Paleobiology
Phorusrhacids are thought to have been ground predators or scavengers, and have often been considered
Alvarenga and Elizabeth Höfling made some general remarks about phorusrhacid habits in a 2003 article. They were flightless, as evidenced by the proportional size of their wings and body mass, and wing size was more reduced in larger members of the group. They pointed out that the narrowing of the pelvis, upper maxilla, and thorax may have been adaptations for hunting in regions with high vegetation, which would permit greater agility when moving between vertical obstacles. The narrow upper maxilla would also help catching small animals hidden among tree trunks or stones. The large expansions above the eyes formed by the lacrimal bones (similar to what is seen in modern hawks) would have protected the eyes against the sun, and enabled keen eyesight, which indicates they hunted by sight in open, sunlit areas, and not shaded forests.[6]
A 2010 study by Degrange and colleagues of Andalgalornis, based on
A 2012 follow-up study by Tambussi and colleagues analyzed the flexion abilities of the neck of Andalgalornis, based on the morphology of its
References
- ^ Paraná, Pueblo Brugo to Diamante, Ituzaingó Fm at Fossilworks.org
- S2CID 85212917.
- ^ PMID 20805872.
- ^ Campbell, K.E.; Marcus, L. (1992). "The relationship of hindlimb bone dimensions to body weight in birds". Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring Pierce Brodkorb. 36. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series: 395–412.
- ^ S2CID 234119602.
- .
- PMID 22662194.
Further reading
- Kraglievich, Lucas (1931): Contribución al conocimiento de las aves fósiles de la época araucoentrerriana. Physis 10: 304–315. (in Spanish)
- Patterson, B. & Kraglievich, Lucas (1960): Sistemática y nomenclatura de las aves fororracoideas del Plioceno Argentino. Publicacion del Museo Municipal Ciencias Naturales y Tradicionales de Mar del Plata 1: 1-51. (in Spanish)