Cretan owl
| Cretan owl Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Athene cretensis and Candiacervus ropalophorus | |
| Conservation status | |
| Prehistoric | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | Athene |
| Species: | A. cretensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Athene cretensis Weesie, 1982 | |
The Cretan owl (Athene cretensis) is an extinct species of owl from the Pleistocene of the island of Crete, in the eastern Mediterranean. It was first named by Weesie in 1982.[1] In life, it would have been at least two feet tall, and flightless or nearly flightless. The Cretan owl went extinct after humans moved into Crete.
References
- ↑ Palaeontological fieldwork done by Dutch-Greek teams Retrieved on 2008-08-25
- Faunal Extinction in an Island Society - Pygmy Hippopotamus Hunters of Cyprus (Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology) by Alan H. Simmons and G.A. Clarke (Pg.176)