Coniornis

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Coniornis
Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Hesperornithes
Order: Hesperornithiformes
Family: Hesperornithidae
Genus: Coniornis
Species: C. altus
Binomial name
Coniornis altus
Synonyms

Hesperornis montana

Coniornis is a prehistoric flightless bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species Coniornis altus lived about 78 million years ago[verification needed]. Sometimes, this genus is merged into Hesperornis but this does not appear to be correct[1]

It was a member of the Hesperornithes, flightless toothed seabirds of the Cretaceous. Among these, it belonged to the Hesperornithidae just like its relative Hesperornis.[1]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Mortimer (2004)

[edit] References

  • Mortimer, Michael (2004): The Theropod Database: Phylogeny of taxa. Retrieved 2007-OCT-29.