A field guide to mesozoic birds and other winged dinosaurs
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A field guide to mesozoic birds and other winged dinosaurs

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19.07.2019 Views

Thorn-nosed Dapingfang Bird Dapingfangornis sentisorhinus Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation, temperatesubtropical swamps dominated by ginkgo and conifer trees, set among shallow lakes and stagnant waterways. Size: WS 22cm (8.6in); BL 12cm (4.7in); TL 23cm (9in) Features: Head large w/ short, thin snout, feathered to near the tip. Teeth sharp and recurved. Feet w/ strong talons. Single pair of very long and thin wire-like rectrices tipped w/ broad vaned plumes. Biology: Probably carnivorous, feeding on fish, lizards & other small vertebrates. A supposed horn high on the snout may be an artifact of preservation, though it may reflect a pair of actual, laterally-projecting lachrymal bones (Mortimer 2010). However, these were shorter than the overlying feathers & probably would not have been visible in life. Chaoyang Long-wing Longipteryx chaoyangensis Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation. Temperatesubtropical swamps dominated by ginkgo and conifer trees, set among shallow lakes and stagnant waterways. Size: WS 34cm (1.1ft); BL 16cm (6in); TL ~18cm (7in) Features: Snout very long w/ large, curved teeth restricted to the jaw tips. Wings large & broad (medial primary 9cm) w/ large alular & major claws. Minor claw vestigial. Legs short. Stub-tail lacked any long rectrices. Biology: Teeth large & conical but slightly flattened and curved; this, combined with their presence only in the jaw tips, has led to the suggestion that these were fishers. However, short leg and perching feet may indicate an arboreal, insectivorous lifestyle instead. Broad wings and wishbone anatomy suggest that these birds may have employed continuous flapping flight. Zheng’s Boluochi Bird Boluochia zhengi Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above) Size: WS ~40cm (1.3ft); BL ~20cm (8in); TL unknown Features: Very similar to “C.” yangi, also w/ a long, narrow snout and very large, strongly hooked teeth. Differed primarily in smaller size & foot anatomy, where the outer toe diverged significantly from the others. Biology: Possibly the same species as “C.” yangi. B. zhengi was initially reported to have a hooked, raptorial beak, but this was a misinterpretation due to poor preservation and the unusually large, hooked teeth. Yang’s Bent-tooth “Camptodontus” yangi Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above) Size: WS ~50cm (1.6ft); BL 25cm (10in); TL unknown Features: Head long w/ very long snout. Teeth extremely large & strongly curved w/ a distinctive bend at the tip, & restricted to the jaw tips. Wings long w/ alular & major claws. Legs relatively short. Biology: Similar in many respects to Longipteryx, but notable for the much larger teeth, which would have protruded conspicuously from the slender jaws in life. Larger than Longipteryx, these may also have fed on fish &/or arboreal prey, but possibly specializing in larger prey than L. chaoyangensis. The genus name Camptodontus is preoccupied and will need to be replaced if it is not a synonym of Boluochia. 128

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