Reply to C. Acosta Hospitaleche and M. Reguero (2020) additional pelagornithidae remains from Seymour Island, Antarctica

Hoffmeister, M.; Urbina, Pablo Oyanadel

doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102643

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a review of Seymour Island pelagornithid material, Cenizo et al 9 compiled known pelagornithid occurrences and reassigned two mandibular specimens previously identified as Pelagornithidae to non-pelagornithid taxa; MLP 83-V-30-1 has been identified as penguin and MLP 83-V-30-2 has been identified as fish. Recently, a partial dentary (IAA-PV 823) published initially as a pelagornithid 34 was reidentified as a perciform fish 35 .…”

Section: Geologic and Paleontological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earliest fossils of giant-sized bony-toothed birds (Aves: Pelagornithidae) from the Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica

Kloess

Poust

Stidham

2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While pelagornithid or ‘bony-toothed’ bird fossils representing multiple species are known from Antarctica, a new dentary fragment of a pelagornithid bird from the middle Eocene Submeseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica represents a species with a body size on par with the largest known species in the clade. Measurements from the partial ‘toothed’ dentary point to a giant body size for the species, although the spacing among the pseudoteeth differs from that published for other pelagornithids. The discrepancy might suggest that previous techniques are not adequate for examination of incomplete material or that another factor such as phylogeny might impact size estimates and comparisons. Combined with a revised stratigraphic position in the early Eocene La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island for the largest pelagornithid tarsometatarsus known, these Antarctic fossils demonstrate the early evolution of giant body size in the clade (by ~ 50 Ma), and they likely represent not only the largest flying birds of the Eocene but also some of the largest volant birds that ever lived (with an estimated 5–6 m wingspan). Furthermore, the distribution of giant-sized pelagornithid fossils across more than 10 million years of Antarctic geological deposits points to a prolonged survival of giant-sized pelagornithids within the southern seas, and their success as a pelagic predatory component of marine and coastal ecosystems alongside early penguins.

show abstract

Section: Geologic and Paleontological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%