Laornis
Encyclopedia
Laornis is a genus
of a prehistoric neornithine bird
s, known only from Specimen YPM 820, a single tibiotarsus
leg bone discovered in the late 19th century. Consequently the genus is monotypic
, containing only the species
Laornis edvardsianus. Regarding its scientific name, Laornis means "stone bird", from Ancient Greek
lao "stone" + ornis "bird". edvardsianus honors Alphonse Milne-Edwards
, to compliment the French paleontologist on his landmark study Recherches Anatomiques et Paleontologiques pour servir a l'Histoire des Oiseaux Fossiles de la France, the second part of which was nearing completion at that time.
It was found in Late Cretaceous
or Early Paleocene
sediments of the Hornerstown Formation
at the Birmingham Marl
Pits, Pemberton Township, New Jersey
, USA (39°59'N, 74°43'W). The deposits were laid down at about 66-63 Ma (million years ago).
The bone is rather distinct but not very diagnostic. Its general shape suggests that Laornis was a semi-aquatic bird with longish legs and a body at least the size of a large goose. It may have been a wading bird, in which case it stood probably around one meter (3–4 ft) tall in life, depending on how long its legs and neck were exactly, which of course cannot be told from the one known bone. On the other hand, it might have been a larger seabird
with proportionally shorter legs.
It has variously been allied with the Charadriiformes
and the Gruiformes
, and is tentatively placed in a family of its own (Laornithidae). It may be considered some kind of basal
gruiform, or more probably part of an ancestral lineage related to the common ancestor of gruiform, charadriiform, and/or any or all other modern "wading" bird families. It might have been one of the extinct stilt-legged waterfowl
of the Presbyornithidae
, and it cannot even be excluded that it was an ancient pseudotooth bird, seabirds of unclear affiliation that evolved to immense proportions in the Neogene
but by the time of Laornis probably were mostly the size of a large petrel
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of a prehistoric neornithine bird
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...
s, known only from Specimen YPM 820, a single tibiotarsus
Tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae...
leg bone discovered in the late 19th century. Consequently the genus is monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
, containing only the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
Laornis edvardsianus. Regarding its scientific name, Laornis means "stone bird", from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
lao "stone" + ornis "bird". edvardsianus honors Alphonse Milne-Edwards
Alphonse Milne-Edwards
Alphonse Milne-Edwards was a French mammalologist, ornithologist and carcinologist. He was English in origin, the son of Henri Milne-Edwards and grandson of Bryan Edwards, a Jamaican planter who settled at Bruges .Milne-Edwards obtained a medical degree in 1859 and became assistant to his father...
, to compliment the French paleontologist on his landmark study Recherches Anatomiques et Paleontologiques pour servir a l'Histoire des Oiseaux Fossiles de la France, the second part of which was nearing completion at that time.
It was found in Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
or Early Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
sediments of the Hornerstown Formation
Hornerstown Formation
The Hornerstown Formation is a Paleogene or latest Mesozoic geologic formation. The age of these deposits have been controversial. While most fossils are of animals types known from the earliest Cenozoic era, several fossils of otherwise exclusively Cretaceous age have been found...
at the Birmingham Marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
Pits, Pemberton Township, New Jersey
Pemberton Township, New Jersey
Pemberton Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 28,691....
, USA (39°59'N, 74°43'W). The deposits were laid down at about 66-63 Ma (million years ago).
The bone is rather distinct but not very diagnostic. Its general shape suggests that Laornis was a semi-aquatic bird with longish legs and a body at least the size of a large goose. It may have been a wading bird, in which case it stood probably around one meter (3–4 ft) tall in life, depending on how long its legs and neck were exactly, which of course cannot be told from the one known bone. On the other hand, it might have been a larger seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
with proportionally shorter legs.
It has variously been allied with the Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
and the Gruiformes
Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
, and is tentatively placed in a family of its own (Laornithidae). It may be considered some kind of basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
gruiform, or more probably part of an ancestral lineage related to the common ancestor of gruiform, charadriiform, and/or any or all other modern "wading" bird families. It might have been one of the extinct stilt-legged waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
of the Presbyornithidae
Presbyornithidae
Presbyornithidae were a family of waterbirds with an apparently global distribution that lived until the Earliest Oligocene, but are now extinct...
, and it cannot even be excluded that it was an ancient pseudotooth bird, seabirds of unclear affiliation that evolved to immense proportions in the Neogene
Neogene
The Neogene is a geologic period and system in the International Commission on Stratigraphy Geologic Timescale starting 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and ending 2.588 million years ago...
but by the time of Laornis probably were mostly the size of a large petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
.
External links
- Satellite image of the type locality from Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
- Topographic map of the type locality from TopoQuestTopoQuestTopoQuest is a free web mapping service built on open source software that provides internet-based topographic maps for most of the United States....
- Aerial image of the type locality from USGS