About: Spec Dinosauria: Gondwanaviformes

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About: Spec Dinosauria: Gondwanaviformes Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : dbkwik.org associated with source dataset(s)

In a world were neornithes dominate over the terrestrial/semi-aquatic avian niches, it is surprising how an externally similar group of birds managed to carve an ecological space for themselves. Yet, while Gondwanaviformes resemble fowl, they are as different from them as a flying humbug is from an afrohea - these are opposite birds, Enantiornithes. Currently the number of gondwanaviformes species is uncertain. At least 17 known species are recognised, and the number might increase in the near future.

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rdfs:label	Spec Dinosauria: Gondwanaviformes
rdfs:comment	In a world were neornithes dominate over the terrestrial/semi-aquatic avian niches, it is surprising how an externally similar group of birds managed to carve an ecological space for themselves. Yet, while Gondwanaviformes resemble fowl, they are as different from them as a flying humbug is from an afrohea - these are opposite birds, Enantiornithes. Currently the number of gondwanaviformes species is uncertain. At least 17 known species are recognised, and the number might increase in the near future.
dcterms:subject	Africa Theropods Theropods Africa Spec Dinosauria Spec Dinosauria Enantiornithes Enantiornithes South America South America
abstract	In a world were neornithes dominate over the terrestrial/semi-aquatic avian niches, it is surprising how an externally similar group of birds managed to carve an ecological space for themselves. Yet, while Gondwanaviformes resemble fowl, they are as different from them as a flying humbug is from an afrohea - these are opposite birds, Enantiornithes. Gondwanaviformes seem to be closely related to the Late Cretaceous Enantiornis, a big enantiornithe from Argentina. This pretty much reflects the gondwannan ancestry of this clade: the earliest recognisable fossils of a member of this clade are known from the earlimost Paleocene of Patagonia, and for the best part of the Eocene most fossils occur in South America and Africa. However, while perhaps conservative in terms of external appearence, they changed a lot in dietary habits, which in turn led to interesting internal adaptations. Gondwanaviformes are herbivorous. Therefore, like the aoteroan megaducks and HE's hoatzins, they evolved proportionally huge guts, which make their body more round in shape. The feet are (as usual among birds) anisodactyl, with the first toe opposing the other three to provide a strong grip used by these animals when climbing. Like all ornithothoraces, their third digit is small and "glued" to the second, and all species have large wing claws on both the thumb and the second digit, used for climbing. Like the probably closely related twitiaviformes, Gondwanaviformes are poisonous; chicks produce a noxious skin irritant, while the adults of some species deliver lethal, pain delivering ichor. While tweety poison glands are simply modified preening glands, Gondwanaviformes also have poison glands in the hands, usually next to the claws. Currently the number of gondwanaviformes species is uncertain. At least 17 known species are recognised, and the number might increase in the near future.

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