Gymnogyps varonai
Gymnogyps varonai Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Cathartiformes |
Family: | Cathartidae |
Genus: | Gymnogyps |
Species: | †G. varonai
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Binomial name | |
†Gymnogyps varonai (Arredondo, 1971)
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Synonyms | |
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Gymnogyps varonai, sometimes called the Cuban condor, is an
History and classification
The species is known from at least six fragmentary fossils housed in the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural in
Description
Overall, the G. varonai fossils show a robust build and an overall larger size compared to the California condor and G. kofordi. The skull MPSG21 has a width of 43.2 millimetres (1.70 in) and a height of 38.8 millimetres (1.53 in) and the femur being approximately 141 millimetres (5.6 in) long. The structure of the skull shows increases in the areas of muscle attachment and suggests larger vertebral dimensions. The bill is more robust than in other species of the genus and the placement of the nuchal crest is further forward. These increases are suggested to be a result of the composition of the diet G. varonai would have eaten. The large animal fauna of Cuba was mainly composed of several ground sloth genera, such as Megalocnus, Acratocnus, and Parocnus. along with large tortoises and rodents. The thicker hides and shells of the carcasses are suggested to have selected for more robust and powerful carrion feeders.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Suárez, W.; Emslie, S.D. (2003). "New fossil material with a redescription of the extinct condor Gymnogyps varonai (Arredondo, 1971) from the Quaternary of Cuba (Aves: Vulturidae)" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 116 (1): 29–37.
- ^ a b Iturralde Vinent, M.A.; MacPhee, R.D.E.; Díaz Franco, S.; Rojas Consuegra, R.; Suárez, W.; Lomba, A. (2000). "Las Breas de San Felipe, a quaternary fossiliferous asphalt seep near Martí (Matanzas Province, Cuba)" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 36 (3–4): 300–313. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
- ^ Olson, S.L. (1978). Gill, F. B. (ed.). A Paleontological Perspective of West Indian Birds and Mammals (PDF). Vol. Zoogeography in the Caribbean. The 1975 Leidy Medal Symposium. pp. 99–117. Retrieved 27 November 2012.[permanent dead link]