Elsornis
| Elsornis Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 80 Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Ornithothoraces |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Genus: | †Elsornis Chiappe et al., 2007 |
| Species: | † E. keni |
| Binomial name | |
| Elsornis keni Chiappe et al., 2007 | |
Elsornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Elsornis keni. It lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is known from a partially articulated fossil skeleton found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
The holotype fossil is given catalog number MPD - b 100/201. It is in the collection of the Mongolian Palaeontological Center. The fossil was collected at Togrogiin Shiree, South Gobi Aimak, Mongolia; Djadokhta Formation, Late Cretaceous, Campanian.
The fossil is extremely well preserved in three dimensions. It preserves a pneumatized Furcula, which was a character previously unknown in enantiornithines. Chiappe et al. (2007) conclude from the proportions of Elsornis ' pectoral skeleton that it was flightless or nearly so.[1]
Etymology
The Genus name Elsornis is derived from the Mongolian word "Els", meaning "sand", and "ornis", the Greek word for "bird". The species name "keni" honors Mr. Ken Hayashibara.
References
- ↑ Chiappe, L.M. Suzuki, S. Dyke, G.J. Watabe, M. Tsogtbaatard, K. & Barsboldd, R. (2007) A new Enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi desert. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 5(2):193-208.