Scaniornis
Encyclopedia
Scaniornis is a prehistoric bird
genus
. The only species
, Scaniornis lundgreni, lived in the MP 1-5 (Early Paleocene, perhaps Middle Paleocene: c. 65 - 59 million years ago).
It is known from a partial fossil
skeleton of a right wing, namely the coracoid, scapula
and humerus
found at Limhamn
(Sweden
) and other bones found at Selk, Germany
). Thus, it would seem to have been a native of the prehistoric North Sea
, which at that time covered part of today's Germany and France
, and sometimes was cut off from the Tethys
and Atlantic Ocean
s, sometimes connected to them, and sometimes even to the Turgai Sea
. Situated a bit southwestwards — between 44°
and 54° North
— of its present location due to plate tectonics, in a fairly wet and warm epoch
, the region had probably a warm-temperate to subtropical and fairly humid climate
, altogether not too dissimilar from today's Black Sea
region or French Mediterranean.
It appears to be somewhat similar to flamingo
s and was long placed with these, and thus would strongly suggest that the Phoenicopteriformes evolve
d in the Late Cretaceous
of immediately thereafter. As flamingos are now thought to be related to grebe
s, the placement of Scaniornis requires reanalysis (Mlíkovský 2002). It was also united with other wading or presumed shorebirds into the "Graculavidae", a form taxon
of "transitional shorebirds". This group is now known to be paraphyletic and has no standing in systematics
anymore.
The presumed relative Parascaniornis is now known to be a hesperornithine
of the genus Baptornis
. The Hesperornithes which became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous and Scaniornis which appears clearly a neornithine are not closely related at all.
Scaniornis was sometimes united with the Cretaceous
Gallornis in the family
Scaniornithidae. Gallornis, however, is of even more unclear relationships; it might be an early member of the Galloanserae. In any case it was subsequently not considered close to Scaniornis anymore but rather united with the supposed "Cretaceous proto-flamingos" "Parascaniornis" and Torotix
, none of which seems even reasonably close to flamingos today.
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...
genus
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...
. The only 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...
, Scaniornis lundgreni, lived in the MP 1-5 (Early Paleocene, perhaps Middle Paleocene: c. 65 - 59 million years ago).
It is known from a partial fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
skeleton of a right wing, namely the coracoid, scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
and humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
found at Limhamn
Limhamn
Limhamn is, in an administrative sense, the southern district of Malmö Municipality in Sweden. Before 1915, Limhamn was a town of its own....
(Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) and other bones found at Selk, Germany
Selk, Germany
Selk is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
). Thus, it would seem to have been a native of the prehistoric North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, which at that time covered part of today's Germany and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and sometimes was cut off from the Tethys
Tethys Ocean
The Tethys Ocean was an ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia during the Mesozoic era before the opening of the Indian Ocean.-Modern theory:...
and Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
s, sometimes connected to them, and sometimes even to the Turgai Sea
Turgai Sea
The Turgai Sea or Turgai Strait, also known as the West Siberian Sea, was a large shallow body of salt water of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras...
. Situated a bit southwestwards — between 44°
44th parallel north
The 44th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 44 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
and 54° North
54th parallel north
The 54th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 54 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
— of its present location due to plate tectonics, in a fairly wet and warm epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
, the region had probably a warm-temperate to subtropical and fairly humid climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
, altogether not too dissimilar from today's Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
region or French Mediterranean.
It appears to be somewhat similar to flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s and was long placed with these, and thus would strongly suggest that the Phoenicopteriformes evolve
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
d in the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of immediately thereafter. As flamingos are now thought to be related to grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s, the placement of Scaniornis requires reanalysis (Mlíkovský 2002). It was also united with other wading or presumed shorebirds into the "Graculavidae", a form taxon
Form taxon
Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships...
of "transitional shorebirds". This group is now known to be paraphyletic and has no standing in systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
anymore.
The presumed relative Parascaniornis is now known to be a hesperornithine
Hesperornithes
Hesperornithes is an extinct and highly specialized clade of Cretaceous toothed birds. Hesperornithine birds, apparently limited to former aquatic habitats in the Northern Hemisphere, include genera such as Hesperornis, Parahesperornis, Baptornis, Enaliornis, and probably Potamornis, all...
of the genus Baptornis
Baptornis
Baptornis is an extinct genus of flightless aquatic bird from the Late Cretaceous, some 87-80 million years ago . The fossils of Baptornis advenus, the type species, were discovered in Kansas, which at its time was mostly covered by the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow shelf sea...
. The Hesperornithes which became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous and Scaniornis which appears clearly a neornithine are not closely related at all.
Scaniornis was sometimes united with the 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...
Gallornis in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Scaniornithidae. Gallornis, however, is of even more unclear relationships; it might be an early member of the Galloanserae. In any case it was subsequently not considered close to Scaniornis anymore but rather united with the supposed "Cretaceous proto-flamingos" "Parascaniornis" and Torotix
Torotix
Torotix is a Late Cretaceous genus of aquatic bird. It lived along the shores of the Western Interior Seaway, but it is not clear whether it was a seabird or a freshwater bird, as it is only known from a humerus. Consequently, the genus is monotypic, with the single species Torotix clemensi.It...
, none of which seems even reasonably close to flamingos today.