Explorornis nessovi
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Cretaceous (145–66 Mya)
- Place
- South America · Uzbekistan
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Alexornithidae
Explorornis (“discovered bird”, from Latin explōrō “to discover” and Ancient Greek ornis (όρνις) “bird”) is a genus of Mesozoic birds which lived during the mid-late Turonian stage, around 90 million years ago, in the Bissekty Formation of the Kyzyl Kum, in present-day Uzbekistan.
E. walkeri (specimen PO 4825) was originally placed in Enantiornis, but the description of the type species E. nessovi (PO 4819), showed that it was not congeneric with the South American Enantiornis, which makes far more sense considering biogeography and age. The two species are named after famous paleontologists: Lev Alexandrovich Nesov (1947–1995) and Alick Donald Walker.
What we know
- Named by Panteleev, 1998.
- Fossils found in South America and Uzbekistan.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Explorornis — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.