Paleognathae

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Paleognaths
Fossil range: Cretaceous - Recent
A kiwi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Carinatae
Infraclass: Neornithes
Superorder: Paleognathae
Pycraft, 1900
Orders

Lithornithiformes
Ambiornithiformes
Gansuiformes
Paleocursornithiformes
Dinornithiformes
Aepyornithiformes
Struthoniformes
Rheiformes
Casuariiformes
Apterygiformes
Tinamiformes

The Paleognathae or paleognaths ("old jaws") are one of the two living superorders of birds. The other living superorder is Neognathae.

The paleognaths contain several living orders of birds, the Tinamiformes (tinamous), the Apterygiformes (kiwis), Casuariiformes (cassowaries and emus), Rheiformes (rheas), and the Struthoniformes (ostriches). There are also many extinct orders: the Lithornithiformes, the Ambiornithiformes, the Gansuiformes, the Paleocursornithiformes, the Dinornithiformes (moas), and the Aepyornithiformes (elephant birds)

Most paleognaths have long necks and long legs, and are specialized for running rather than flight; indeed, the ratites are all completely flightless. The group is not seperated because of this though, it is rather based on the form of the jaw. Paleognaths are more commonly known as ratites from the Latin word for raft, ratis, because their breatbone is shaped like a raft.

Contents

[edit] Anatomy

[edit] Features

[edit] Eggs

[edit] Nests

[edit] Beaks

[edit] Legs

[edit] Feathers

[edit] Other External Features

[edit] Internal Structure

[edit] Bones

[edit] Muscles

[edit] Other Internal Structures

[edit] Evolution

Paleognaths probably descended from a common ancestor in the late Cretaceous period on the supercontinent of Gondwana. As the continents seperated several forms of paleognaths reached different parts of the world, to support this idea all the continents where living (ostrich, casuwary, kiwi, tinamous, emu, and the rhea) and various fossil forms are found were connected during the late Cretaceous. Recent genetic evidenece seems to also point towards this theory, DNA shows that they may not be disended from one common ancestor, but two or more. The results also show that paleognaths probably didn't lose the ability to fly until the middle Eocene. Many similarites in morphology and gentic analysis show that there is probably no convergent evolution between ratite birds. Currently, there is no exact way to way where, why, or when the paleognaths diverged.

[edit] Taxonamy

As told in the Evolution section of this article, the exact history of the paleognaths is unknown presently. Despite this many taxonimists try to place them in the grand sceme of the Aves. As a result two main branches developed, they are shown in the classification part below.

[edit] Early Taxonamy

Before genetics or fossil forms the ratites were placed in a single group the Paleognathae in a single order the Paleognathia. Later it was realized that they were too different to be placed in a single order, so they were split into the several orders in the infobox at the top of this article. Then they were split into two orders, the Struthioniformes and the Lithioniformes. Although the first classification is adopted in this article, either is presentable.

[edit] Cladistics

[edit] Evolutionary Cladogram

      |------+ (Lithornithiformes and other Fossil Paleognaths)
      |
      '------+ (Living Ratites)
             |------+ (Struthioniformes)
             |      '---+ (Palaeotis)
             |          '--- (Struthio)
             |
             '------+--+ (Rheiformes)
                    |  |---+ (Opisthodactylidae)
                    |  |   |-?- (Diogenornis)
                    |  |   '--- (Opisthodactylus)
                    |  |
                    |  '---+ (Rheidae)
                    |      |--- (Heterorhea)
                    |      |--- (Hinasuri)
                    |      |
                    |      '---+--- (Rhea americana)
                    |          |
                    |          '--- (Pterocnemia pennata)
                    |
                    |---+---+ (Aepyornithiformes)
                    |   |   '--- (Aepyornithidae)
                    |   |
                    |   '---+---+ (Dinornithiformes)
                    |       |   |---+ (Dinornithidae)
                    |       |   |   '--- (Dinornis) 
                    |       |   |
                    |       |   '---+ (Emeidae)
                    |       |       |--- (Emeinae)
                    |       |       '--- (Anomalopteryginae)
                    |       |
                    |       '---+ (Apterygiformes)
                    |           '---+ (Apterygidae)
                    |               |--- (Megapteryx)
                    |               '--- (Apteryx)
                    |
                    '---+ (Casuariformes)
                        '---+---+ ("Emuwaries")
                            |   |
                            |   '--- (Dromaius)
                            |
                            '--- (Casuarius)

[edit] Regional Cladogram

      |------+ (Oceanic paleognaths)
      |      |------+ (Australian and Indonesian paleognaths)     
      |      |      '------+ (Casuariformes)
      |      |             '---+ ("Emuwaries")
      |      |                 '---+--- (Emus)
      |      |                     '--- (Cassowaries)
      |      |
      |      '------+ (New Zealand paleognaths) 
      |             |------+ (Dinornithiformes)
      |             |      |--- (Dinornithidae)
      |             |      '--- (Emeidae)                       
      |             |
      |             '------+ (Apterygiformes)
      |                    '---+ (Apterygidae)
      |                        '--- (Kiwis)  
      |
      |------+ (South American paleognaths)
      |      |------+ (Tinamiformes)
      |      |      '---+ (Tinamidae)
      |      |          '--- (Tinamous)  
      |      |
      |      '------+ (Rheiformes)
      |             |--- (Opisthodactylidae)
      |             '--- (Rheidae)
      |
      '------+ (Laurasian and African paleognaths)
             |---?---+ (Remiornithiformes)
             |      '--- (Remiornithidae)
             |
             |---?---+ (Lithornithiformes)
             |      '--- (Lithornithidae)
             |
             |---?---+ (Aepyornithiformes)
             |      '--- (Aepyornithidae)
             |
             |---?---+ (Struthioniformes)
             |       '---+ (Struthionidae)
             |           '--- (African Ostrich
             |  
             |---?---+ (Ambiornithiformes)
             |       '--- (Ambiortidae)
             |
             |---?---+ (Gansuiformes)
             |       '--- (Gansuidae)
             |
             '---?---+ (Paleocursornithiformes)
                     '--- (Paleocursornithidae)

[edit] Classification

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  • Superorder Paleognathae
    • Order Struthioniformes
    • Order Lithioniformes
    • Order Tinamiformes

[edit] Locomotion

[edit] Running, Walking, and Trotting

[edit] Fastest Birds?

Many of the larger ratite birds have extremely long legs and the largest living bird, the ostrich, can run at speeds over 60 km/h. And cassowaries, emus, and rheas show a similar likeness in agility and some extinct forms may have reached speeds of 75 km/h. Moas, the largest birds, had legs over 3 feet high and may have been the fastest land animals to live outrunning even the cheetah.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Preening and Hygiene

[edit] Flightlessness

[edit] Instinct and Intelligence

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Warning and other Emotional Behaviour

[edit] Social Behaviour

[edit] Colonial Behaviour

[edit] Pair Bonds

[edit] Territorial Behaviour

[edit] Courtship

[edit] Copulation

[edit] Feeding and Diet

[edit] Eating

[edit] Drinking

[edit] Specific Diets

[edit] Herbivores

[edit] Carnivores

[edit] Insectivores

[edit] Omnivores

[edit] Distribution

[edit] Habitats

[edit] Other Habitats

[edit] Why Islands?

[edit] Breeding

[edit] Nest Building

[edit] Eggs

[edit] Young

[edit] Population

[edit] Longevity

[edit] Endangered and Threatened Species

[edit] Domestication

[edit] Extinctions

[edit] Overhunting?

[edit] Other Causes

[edit] Paleognaths in Popular Culture

[edit] Internal Links

Ratites

Kiwi

Emus

Cassowaries

Rhea

Moa

Elephant Bird

List of Fossil Birds

List of Late Quaternary Birds

List of Extinct Birds

[edit] External Links

Page On the classification of Paleognaths of Animal Diversity Web

Regional Cladogram of Paleognaths

Evolutionary Cladogram of Paleognaths

Spanish Page on Ratites

Info on How to Prepare Ratites as Food

Avibase

Introduction to the Paleognathae

[edit] References

Perrins, Christopher (1979). Birds: their life, their ways, their world. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 8-412. ISBN 0-89577-065-2.

Wyse, Elizabeth (2001). Dinosaur Encyclopedia: from dinosaurs to the dawn of man. New York, New York: DK publishing, inc., 138-145. ISBN 0-7894-7935-4.

(2005) Animal: the definitive visual guide to the world's wildlife. New York, New York: DK publishing, inc., 260-265. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.

Charles, Sibley (1993). A Wolrd Checklist of Birds. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-3000-5547-1.

Elwood, Ann (1991). Ostriches, emus, rheas, kiwis, & cassowaries. Mankato, Minnesota: Creative Education. ISBN 0-8868-2338-2.

Wexo, John (2000). Zoobooks: Ostriches and other Ratites. Poway, California: Wildlife Education. ISBN 1-8881-5357-1.

{{cite book | first = Tully | last = Thomas | author link = Thomas N. Tully | title = Ratites | publisher = Saunders Co. | date = 1998 | location = Philadelphia, Pennslyvania | oclc = 40183233

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