Tytthostonyx

Tytthostonyx
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 65.5 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Order: ?Procellariiformes
Genus: Tytthostonyx
Olson & Parris, 1987
Species
  • T. glauconiticus Olson & Parris, 1987 (type)

Tytthostonyx is a genus of prehistoric seabird. Found in the much-debated Hornerstown Formation which straddles the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary 65 million years ago, this animal was apparently closely related to the ancestor of some modern birds, such as Procellariiformes and/or "Pelecaniformes". A single species is placed herein, Tytthostonyx glauconiticus.[1]

It has been placed into a family of its own, Tytthostonygidae.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Olsen, S. and Parris, D.C. (1987). "The Cretaceous Birds of New Jersey." Smithsonian Contributions to Paleontology, 63: 22pp.