Palaeobiology of Giant Flightless BirdsThe fossil record of giant flightless birds extends back to the Late Cretaceous, more than 70 million years ago, but our understanding of these extinct birds is still incomplete. This is partly because the number of specimens available is sometimes limited, but also because widely different approaches have been used to study them, with sometimes contradictory results. This book summarizes the current knowledge of the paleobiology of seven groups of giant flightless birds: Dinornithiformes, Aepyornithiformes, Dromornithidae, Phorusrhacidae, Brontornithidae, Gastornithidae and Gargantuavis. The first chapter presents the global diversity of these birds and reviews the tools and methods used to study their paleobiology. Chapters 2 to 8 are each dedicated to one of the seven groups of extinct birds. Finally, a conclusion offers a global synthesis of the information presented in the book in an attempt to define a common evolutionary model. - Focuses on the giant flightless birds that evolved independently in different parts of the world since the Cretaceous period - Covers a number of different families with different evolutionary histories, providing a source of interesting comparisons - Provides emphasis on the palaeobiology of these birds, including their evolution, adaptations, mode of life, ecology and extinction |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 Dinornithiformes | 39 |
3 Aepyornithiformes | 65 |
4 Dromornithidae | 95 |
5 Phorusrhacidae | 133 |
6 Brontornithidae | 161 |
7 Gastornithidae | 173 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aepyornis Aepyornithidae Aepyornithiformes Agnolin Ameghino anatomical Andors Angst Anseriformes Argentina attributed Australia Aves beak body mass bone Brontornis Brontornithidae Buffetaut carnivorous color version corresponds Cretaceous date back Degrange described Diatryma diet Dinornis Dinornithiformes discovered Dromornis stirtoni Dromornithidae eggs eggshells environment Eocene equation Euryapteryx evolution extant extinct fauna femur Figure flightless footprints Formation fossil sites Gargantuavis philoinos Gastornis Gastornithidae genus Genyornis newtoni geographical distribution giant birds giganteus graviportal herbivorous hindlimbs Holocene hypothesis Ilbandornis Ilbandornis lawsoni isotope known Lamberton large birds large number Lutetian Madagascar mammals mandible mass estimates Mercerat Milne-Edwards & Grandidier Miocene Monnier Moreno Mullerornis Murray & Vickers-Rich North America Oligocene ostriches Owen Pachyornis Paleocene Patagonia Phorusrhacidae Pleistocene Pliocene present-day Psilopterinae Psilopterus ratites remains sexual dimorphism significant skull South southern France species specimens Stratigraphic occurrence suggested Tambussi tarsometatarsus terrestrial birds tibiotarsus type of locomotion vertebrates Vickers-Rich 2004 www.iste.co.uk/angst/birds.zip Ypresian Zealand Zool