Eoörnis Pterovelox Gobiensis
Encyclopedia
Eoörnis pterovelox gobiensis is a fictional bird
, a humorous hoax
by Lester W. Sharp
, professor of botany
, Cornell University
, United States
.
It was initially a short talk presented together with a graduate student, Cuthbert Fraser, about the most unusual bird from the Gobi Desert
, called woofen-poof by the local populace. (Compare the coinage "woofen-poof" to Whiffenpoof
, Hufflepuff, etc.) Eventually it grew into a 34-page monograph signed by an Augustus C. Fotheringham, Sc.D. (Cantab.), F.R.G.S., printed by "The Buighleigh Press" in 1928, full of illustrated detail of anatomy, physiology, ecology, evolution, and historical references, complete with Cro-Magnon
cave paintings — all inspired by a car mascot of a pelican
. For example, Pterovelox "is perhaps most frequently observed in a peculiar resting position — legs straight out behind with the feet on the rock, tree branch or other object, the body being supported by continuous vibration of wings".
The monograph has later been reprinted several times in the form of a Ph.D. thesis.
The peculiarities of the bird's mating
were even unwittingly quoted in a eugenics
article on consanguineous marriages in 1934: "A new, and recently authenticated, case of naturally determined incest
, appears to have been discovered by the British Museum
Expedition to the Gobi Desert in 1929, when a bird, the Eoörnis pterovelox gobiensis, was found, which hatches twins at each birth, a male and a female, and these same individuals later mate and are monogamous."
Harriet Creighton
recalls her witnessing how the woofen-poof hoax backfired on the hoaxer himself. In her presence, Professor Sharp was reading with disbelief a review on "Eoörnis..." published in The Quarterly Review of Biology
(Pearl 1930, reprinted in 1976) and was truly under the impression that the reviewer was hoaxed until he reached the end, which made clear that the review was on par with the reviewed article.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, a humorous hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
by Lester W. Sharp
Lester W. Sharp
Lester Whyland Sharp was an American botanist, a pioneer in cytogenetics....
, professor of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It was initially a short talk presented together with a graduate student, Cuthbert Fraser, about the most unusual bird from the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
, called woofen-poof by the local populace. (Compare the coinage "woofen-poof" to Whiffenpoof
Whiffenpoof
The word whiffenpoof can refer to:* an imaginary or indefinite animal; e.g. "the great-horned whiffenpoof;"* a device used for tracking exercises;...
, Hufflepuff, etc.) Eventually it grew into a 34-page monograph signed by an Augustus C. Fotheringham, Sc.D. (Cantab.), F.R.G.S., printed by "The Buighleigh Press" in 1928, full of illustrated detail of anatomy, physiology, ecology, evolution, and historical references, complete with Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnon
The Cro-Magnon were the first early modern humans of the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest known remains of Cro-Magnon-like humans are radiometrically dated to 35,000 years before present....
cave paintings — all inspired by a car mascot of a pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
. For example, Pterovelox "is perhaps most frequently observed in a peculiar resting position — legs straight out behind with the feet on the rock, tree branch or other object, the body being supported by continuous vibration of wings".
The monograph has later been reprinted several times in the form of a Ph.D. thesis.
The peculiarities of the bird's mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
were even unwittingly quoted in a eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
article on consanguineous marriages in 1934: "A new, and recently authenticated, case of naturally determined incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, appears to have been discovered by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
Expedition to the Gobi Desert in 1929, when a bird, the Eoörnis pterovelox gobiensis, was found, which hatches twins at each birth, a male and a female, and these same individuals later mate and are monogamous."
Harriet Creighton
Harriet Creighton
Harriet Baldwin Creighton was an American botanist, geneticist and educator.Born in Delavan, Illinois, Creighton graduated from Wellesley College in 1929, and went on to complete her Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1933...
recalls her witnessing how the woofen-poof hoax backfired on the hoaxer himself. In her presence, Professor Sharp was reading with disbelief a review on "Eoörnis..." published in The Quarterly Review of Biology
The Quarterly Review of Biology
The Quarterly Review of Biology or QRB is a scientific review of current and historical topics in biology as well as a source of book reviews. It was begun in 1926 by Raymond Pearl. In the 1960s, the Review was purchased by the Stony Brook Foundation when the editor H. Bentley Glass became...
(Pearl 1930, reprinted in 1976) and was truly under the impression that the reviewer was hoaxed until he reached the end, which made clear that the review was on par with the reviewed article.