Gastornis Fossil range: Late Paleocene-Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Gastornithiformes Family: Gastornithidae Genus: Gastornis Hébert, 1855
Species
Gastornis parisiensis Hébert, 1855 Gastornis giganteus Cope, 1876 Gastornis ajax Gastornis russeli Gastornis sarasini

Gastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless birds that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene periods of the Cenozoic. The Thanetian (also known as the Landenian or Heersian) is the last stage of the Paleocene Epoch, corresponding to the Late Paleocene sub-epoch. ... hfajhfiudshfas == == == --24. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Gastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless birds that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene periods of the Cenozoic. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... Flightless birds evolved from flying ancestors; there are about forty species in existence today. ... The Paleocene, early dawn of the recent, is a geologic epoch that lasted from 65. ... hfajhfiudshfas == == == --24. ... The Cenozoic Era (IPA pronunciation: ); sometimes Caenozoic Era or Cainozoic Era (in the United Kingdom), meaning new life (Greek (kainos), new, and (zoe), life), is the most recent of the three classic geological eras. ...

Gastornis means "Gaston's bird"; it is named after Gaston Planté, who discovered the first fossils at Geiseltal, Germany in 1855. In 1876, Edward Drinker Cope discovered another set of fossils in North America, and named them Diatryma (DIE-a-TREE-ma) (from Ancient Greek diatrêma "canoe"^{[verification needed]}). This is an extremely close relative; the North American bird is often called Diatryma, but experts now believe they both belong into Gastornis. It is perhaps best to use the more familiar name of Cope as the common name, so that one might for example say "Gastornis (the diatrymas)...". Media:Example. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ...

Description and ecology

Gastornis parisiensis measured on average 1.75 metres tall, while G. edwardsi was 2 metres tall. It had a remarkably huge beak with a hook, which was taken as evidence suggests that it was carnivorous. Gastornis had large powerful legs, with large, taloned feet, which also were considered in support of the theory that it was a predator. At its time, the environment in which Gastornis lived in had large portions of dense forest and a moist to semiarid subtropical or even tropical climate. North America and Europe were still rather close, and especially since Greenland probably was covered with lush woodland and grassland then, only narrow straits of a few 100 km at most would have blocked entirely landbound dispersal of the diatrymas' ancestors. While there were large contiguous areas of land in their North American range after the Western Interior Seaway had receded, their European range was an archipelago due to the Alpide orogeny and the high sea levels of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum; geographically (but not geologically), it was perhaps roughly similar to today's Indonesia. The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding their young. ... The steppe of Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, steppe (from Slavic step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said... Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... Simplified diagram A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. ... Western Interior Seaway during the mid-Cretaceous, about 100 million years before the present The Western Interior Seaway, also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, and the North American Inland Sea, was a huge inland sea that split the continent of North America into two halves during most of... The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... The Alpine orogeny (sometimes also called Alpide orogeny) is an orogenic phase in the Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Climate change during the last 65 million years. ... Physical map of the Earth (Medium) (Large 2 MB) Geography is the scientific study of the locational and spatial variation in both physical and human phenomena on Earth. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ...

Classically, the diatrymas have been depicted as predatory. However, with the size of Gastornis's legs, the bird would have had to have been more agile to catch fast-moving prey than the fossils suggest it to have been. Consequently, it has been suspected that Gastornis was an ambush hunter and/or used pack hunting techniques to pursue or ambush prey; if Gastornis was a predator, it would have certainly needed some other means of hunting prey through the dense forest.

Alternatively, they may have been predominantly scavengers, omnivores or even herbivores. Indeed, Gastornis's large beak would have been as well suited for crushing seeds and tearing off vegetation. Alternatively, the beak may simply have been used for social display - its presence in all known fossils argues against a sexual display role. These contradicting hypotheses , equivocally supported by the data, make the dietary paleobiology of Gastornis impossible to pinpoint. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ...

Similar gigantic birds of the Cenozoic were the South American terror birds (phorusrhacids) and the Australian mihirungs (Dromornithidae). The former were certainly carnivorous, and the latter are suspected of being predators, too. On the other hand, ratites, the flightless giant birds of our time, feed on plants and invertebrates. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Synonyms Phororhacosidae Ameghino, 1889 Pelecyornidae Ameghino, 1891 Brontornithidae Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 Darwinornithidae Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 Stereornithidae Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 Phororhacidae Lydekker, 1893 (unjustified emendation) Patagornithidae Mercerat, 1897 Hermosiornidae Rovereto, 1914 Psilopteridae Dolgopol de Saez, 1927 Devincenziidae Kraglievich, 1932 Hermosiorniidae Kraglievich, 1932 (unjustified emendation) Mesembriorniidae Kraglievich, 1932 Hermosiornithidae Wetmore, 1934 (unjustified... Genera Dromornis Barawertornis Bullockornis Ilbandornis Genyornis Dromornithidae were a family of large, flightless birds that lived in Australia until the end of the Pleistocene, but are now extinct. ... Families Struthionidae (ostriches) Rheidae (rheas) Casuariidae (emus etc. ... Invertebrate is a term that describes any animal without a spinal column. ...

Model of a gaping diatryma.

The diatrymas were among the largest, if not the largest birds alive during the Paleogene. They had few natural enemies and serious competitors apart from other Gastornis or then-rare large mammals, such as the predatory bear-like Arctocyon of Europe. If these huge birds were active hunters, they must have been important apex predators that dominated the forest ecosystems of North America and Europe until the Middle Eocene. The Middle Eocene saw the rise of large creodont and mesonychid predators to ecological prominence in Eurasia and North America; the appearance of these new predators coincides with the decline of Gastornis and its relatives. This was possibly due to an increased tendency of mammalian predators to hunt together in packs (prevalent especially in hyaenodont creodonts). The fact that no birds appear to have ever weighed much more than half a metric ton suggests that they were restricted in their ability to evolve to larger and larger sizes, out-evolving apex predators in sheer bulk as mammals are often able to do (see Cope's "Rule"). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Paleogene (alternatively Palaeogene) period is a unit of geologic time that began 65 and ended 23 million years ago. ... Species Arctocyon (bear dog) is an extinct genus of mammal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Families Oxyaenidae Hyaenodontidae The creodonts were an extinct order of mammals that lived from the Paleocene to the Pliocene. ... Mesonychids are an extinct order of even-toed carnivorous ungulates (hoofed animals) which looked like wolves, and were scavengers for carrion and hunters of fish. ... Genera  Boualitomus  Buhakia  Hyaenodon  Laekitherium  Metapterodon  Triacodon  Parvagula Hyaenodontidae is a family of the extinct order Creodonta, which contains 6 genera. ... A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ... In evolutionary biology, Copes rule states that population lineages tend to increase body size over geological time. ...

Systematics

Life restoration of Gastornis

There is no agreement on the relationships of the diatrymas. They were long and still are sometimes placed with the Gruiformes. This group seems paraphyletic though, with some lineages that are exclusively Gondwanan but apparently not closely related to cranes, rails and allies which are common in Eurasia and Africa but far less so in the Americas. Some others, probably unrelated to either group, were very diverse in the Americas but prehistorically also occurred in Europe. Nothing is known of the ancestry of Gastornis; judging from biogeography, a relationship with either the true Gruiformes or the "Americas" lineage (which might include the seriemas and the phorusrhacids) is possible. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Families †Gastornithidae Aramidae Psophiidae Rallidae Heliornithidae Rhynochetidae †Aptornithidae Eurypigidae Cariamidae Otidae Gruidae †Phorusrhacidae The diverse order Gruiformes contains about 12 bird families with, on first sight, little in common. ... Paraphyletic - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Gondwanaland redirects here. ... Genera Grus Anthropoides Balearica Bugeranus Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. ... Genera Sarothrura Himantornis Canirallus Coturnicops Micropygia Rallina Anurolimnas Laterallus Nesoclopeus Gallirallus Rallus Lewinia Dryolimnas Crex Rougetius Aramidopsis Atlantisia Aramides Amaurolimnas Gymnocrex Amaurornis Porzana Aenigmatolimnas Cyanolimnas Neocrex Pardirallus Eulabeornis Habroptila Megacrex Gallicrex Porphyrio Gallinula Fulica The family Rallidae is a large group of small to medium-sized birds which includes the... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World consisting of the continents of North America[1], Central America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ... Genera and species Cariama cristata Chunga burmeisteri The Seriemas are a small and ancient family of tropical South American birds, belonging to the family Cariamidae, that are related to the rails and bustards. ...

However, the early occurrence of the diatrymas in the fossil record poses problems. These animals were highly apomorphic and thus the lineage must have evolved for significant time after diverging from their closest known relatives. Most purported relatives are not known nor suspected to have been so highly distinct at the time when the diatrymas lived. This cladogram shows the relationship among various insect groups. ...

More recently, most consider the closest living relatives of Gastornis to be the Anseriformes (waterfowl and screamers). The present birds would thus be members of the fowl clade, Galloanserae. The clade name Anserimorphae has been proposed for the diatrymas and the Anseriformes, as opposed to birds closer to Galliformes. As Galloanserae are known to have reached some diversity in the Late Cretaceous already, this scenario very plausibly explains the extreme adaptations of the diatrymas: they would have evolved for some 15-25 million years after diverging from the ancestors of the Anseriformes. Families Anhimidae Anseranatidae Anatidae †Dromornithidae †Presbyornithidae The order Anseriformes contains about 150 species of birds in three families: the Anhimidae (the screamers), Anseranatidae (the Magpie-goose), and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans. ... Falcated Duck at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands centre, Gloucestershire, England Wildfowl or waterfowl, also waterbirds, is the collective term for the approximately 147 species of swans, geese and ducks, classified in the order Anseriformes, family Anatidae. ... Genera Anhima Chauna The Screamers are a small family of birds, the Anhimidae. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Orders Galliformes Anseriformes Fowl is a term for certain birds often used as food by humans. ... Families Megapodidae Numididae Odontophoridae Phasianidae Meleagrididae Tetraonidae Cracidae Mesitornithidae The Galliformes is an order of birds containing the turkeys, grouse, quails and pheasants. ... Geography of the US in the Late Cretaceous Period Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. ...

Moreover, in this case the mihirungs would have recapitulated the gigantism of the diatrymas, though based on a more advanced anseriform (i.e., more "gooselike" as regards details of their osteology) ancestor. This would be an outstanding example of convergent evolution which was very close to being homologous phylogenetically but still a true convergence of phenes in most aspects. Osteology is the scientific study of bones. ... In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ... In biology, homology is any similarity between structures that is due to their shared ancestry. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Gastornis in popular culture

• Gastornis was featured on the BBC special, Walking With Beasts, as the apex predator of a European forest.

• Gastornis (aka. Diatryma) was also featured in the Canadian National Film Board special Miracle Planet.

• Gastornis (aka. Diatryma) was shown in the children's video "Mr. Know it Owl's Dinosaurs and Strange Creatures". In it, it attacked and ate a small Eohippus, a primitive horse now named Hyracotherium.

• Gastornis (aka. Diatryma) was featured in Carnivores: Ice Age

The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... // Walking with Beasts is a 2001 six-part television documentary produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Eohippus (dawn horse) is the earliest known horse. ... This little horse lived 50 million years ago the person who discovered it called Mole Beast or Hyracotherium later they found another one but called it Dawn Horse the name was given to another Hyracotherium but it also goes by Eohippus. ...

References

• Cope, Edward Drinker (1876): On a gigantic bird from the Eocene of New Mexico. Proc.Acad.Nat.Sc.Philadelphia, 10-11.
• Hébert, E. (1855): Note sur le tibia du Gastornis parisiensis. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 40: 579-582. [Article in French]

Comptes rendus de lAcadémie des Sciences, or simply Comptes rendus, is a French scientific journal which has been published since 1835. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Diatryma

• BBC Science and Nature
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