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Macrornis tanaupus Seeley, 1866: an enigmatic giant bird from the upper Eocene of England.

Authors :
Buffetaut, Eric
Angst, Delphine
Source :
Geological Magazine; Jun2021, Vol. 158 Issue 6, p1129-1134, 6p
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

A large bone from the upper Eocene Totland Bay Formation of Hordle Cliff (Hampshire), originally described by Seeley (1866) as Macrornis tanaupus and interpreted by him as belonging to a 'large Struthious bird', is redescribed and illustrated for the first time. It is not a reptile bone, as previously suggested, but the proximal part of a left avian tibiotarsus. A mass estimate of 43 kg, comparable to that of an emu, suggests that it was flightless. A precise identification is difficult because of the incompleteness of the specimen, and Macrornis tanaupus should probably be considered as a nomen dubium. We exclude Seeley's interpretation as a ratite, as well as previous attributions to gastornithids. We tentatively suggest that the specimen may belong to a phorusrhacid, which would extend the stratigraphic record of this group in Europe by a few million years. The presence of a large terrestrial bird in the upper Eocene of Europe may have a bearing on the interpretation of enigmatic footprints of very large birds from the upper Eocene Paris gypsum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects

Subjects :
GYPSUM
REPTILES
BIRDS
CLIFFS

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00167568
Volume :
158
Issue :
6
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Geological Magazine
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
150447096
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756820001466