Neuquenornis Neuquenornis

"Etymology TBD"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Neuquenornis 5 m (16.4 ft) long
3 people holding hands
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (85 Mya)
Place
Argentina
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Avisauridae

Neuquenornis volans is a species of enantiornithean birds which lived during the late Cretaceous period in today’s Patagonia, Argentina. It is the only known species of the genus Neuquenornis. Its fossils were found in the Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating from about 85-83 million years ago. This was a sizeable bird for its time, with a tarsometatarsus 46.8mm long. Informal estimates suggest that it measured nearly 30 cm (12 in) in length excluding the tail.

What we know

  • Named by Chiappe & Calvo 1994.
  • Fossils found in Argentina.