Draft:Kank australis
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Comment: See WP:MONOTYPICFAUNA for policy regarding genus with only one species. PeriodicEditor (talk) 06:48, 4 June 2026 (UTC)
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| Genus: | †Kank Motta et al., 2026 |
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| †Kank australis Motta et al., 2026 | |
Kank australis is the only known species of the extinct genus Kank (meaning "Elder Rhea"), a unenlagiid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago during the Campanian-Maastrichtian stage, in what is now southern Patagonia.
Discovery and etymology
[edit]The remains of Kank australis were discovered in the Chorrillo Formation, in the Santa Cruz Province of Argentina, in 2019 during joint expeditions conducted by the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" and the Tokyo Museum of Natural History, Japan.
Kank australis represents the first unenlagiid named from the Austral Basin, filling a geographic gap between the diverse unenlagiids of northern Patagonia and Imperobator antarcticus (Ely & Case, 2019[1]; Motta et al., 2025[2]) from Antarctica. This find expands the known geographic distribution and morphological diversity of this paravian group during the Maastrichtian stage of South America.
The generic name Kank refers to the "Elder Rhea", the deity who created the Choiols constellation (the Southern Cross) in Aonikenk mythology. The specific epithet australis means "from the south" in Latin, in reference to the southern latitude where the dinosaur was found.
Description
[edit]Kank australis is estimated to have been similar in size to its closely related unenlagiid Neuquenraptor argentinus (~2 meters in length). The teeth of Kank resemble those of other unenlagiids, exhibiting features present in both Buitreraptor and Austroraptor, thereby increasing the known morphological diversity within the clade. The maxillary teeth have an "8"-shaped cross-section with ridges surrounding lateral grooves, whereas the dentary teeth are conical, featuring a crenulated mesial carina and lacking longitudinal ridges.
The cervicodorsal vertebra (CV10) shares features with other paravians and basal birds, such as highly developed carotid processes. It resembles Buitreraptor in the pronounced development of the postspinal fossa, and Austroraptor in the morphology of the neural canal and the degree of pneumaticity of the cervicodorsal vertebra (Motta & Novas, 2025[3]). Furthermore, the cervicodorsal vertebra of Kank exhibits a series of foramina on its ventral surface that are absent in other paravians, constituting a unique feature of this genus. Another characteristic shared with unenlagiids like Buitreraptor and Austroraptor is the presence of an incipient heterocoelous condition, resembling the avian condition. The dorsal vertebrae of Kank display a large lateral pneumatic fossa.
The second pedal digit is modified as in all paravians, bearing a large, specialized raptorial claw. Pedal phalange II-2 is similar to that of other unenlagiids, possessing a well-developed medioventral process, but features proportionally small distal condyles. The raptorial claw possesses a highly developed flexor tubercle and an asymmetric ventral margin.
Classification
[edit]The phylogenetic analysis conducted by Motta et al. (2026)[4] recovered Kank as a unenlagiid theropod closely related to other Patagonian unenlagiids, although its exact position within the group remains uncertain. Nonetheless, it differs from other unenlagiids in overlapping skeletal elements, such as pedal phalange II-2, which in Kank exhibits highly reduced distal condyles, differentiating it from Neuquenraptor, Buitreraptor, Rahonavis, Austroraptor, Pamparaptor, and Unenlagia paynemili (Makovicky et al., 2005[5]; Motta et al., 2020[6]; Novas & Pol, 2005[7]; Novas & Puerta, 1997[8]; Novas et al., 2009[9]; Porfiri et al., 2011[10]).
Paleoecology
[edit]During the Maastrichtian stage, the depositional environment of the Chorrillo Formation differed significantly from the present-day semi-arid conditions of southern Patagonia. The Andes mountain range had not yet risen substantially, allowing for a temperate-to-warm forested ecosystem dominated by fluvial systems, lakes, and abundant vegetation including conifers, podocarps, and ferns (Moyano-Paz et al., 2022[11]; Novas et al., 2019[12]).
The associated fossil record within the same locality and stratigraphic levels demonstrates that Kank australis coexisted with a diverse and complex fauna. Continental vertebrates recovered include teleost fish, anurans (frogs), chelidae turtles, madtsoiid snakes, and meridiolestidan mammals. Furthermore, Kank shared its habitat with other dinosaurs, notably the large apex predator Maip macrothorax (a megaraptorid), the long-necked titanosaurian sauropod Nullotitan glaciaris, and the elasmarian ornithopod Isasicursor santacrucensis. This faunal assemblage allows for the reconstruction of a mature ecological community in southern Patagonia, dating back approximately 70 million years, shortly before the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event.
References
[edit]- ↑ Ely, Ricardo C.; Case, Judd A. (September 2019). "Phylogeny of a new gigantic paravian (Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Maniraptora) from the Upper Cretaceous of James Ross Island, Antarctica". Cretaceous Research. 101: 1–16. Bibcode:2019CrRes.101....1E. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.04.003. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ↑ Motta, Matías J.; Agnolín, Federico L.; Egli, Federico Brissón; Novas, Fernando E. (2025-05-15). "Unenlagiid Affinities for Imperobator antarcticus (Paraves: Theropoda): Paleobiogeographical Implications". Ameghiniana. 62 (1): 3604. Bibcode:2025Amegh..62.3604M. doi:10.5710/amgh.13.11.2024.3604. ISSN 0002-7014.
- ↑ Motta, Matías J.; Novas, Fernando E. (2025-09-10). "Osteology of Austroraptor cabazai (Paraves: Theropoda): a southern gigantic unenlagiid from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Historical Biology: 1–123. doi:10.1080/08912963.2025.2537843. ISSN 0891-2963.
- ↑ Motta, Matías J.; Aranciaga Rolando, Alexis M.; Rozadilla, Sebastián; Agnolín, Federico L.; Egli, Federico Brissón; Álvarez Herrera, Gerardo P.; Chimento, Nicolás R.; Coco, Gastón Lo; Tsuihiji, Takanobu; Manabe, Makoto; Pol, Diego; Novas, Fernando E. (2026-05-28). "New unenlagiid from the Chorrillo Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian), SW Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2656456. doi:10.1080/02724634.2026.2656456. ISSN 0272-4634.
- ↑ Makovicky, Peter J.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Agnolín, Federico L. (October 2005). "The earliest dromaeosaurid theropod from South America". Nature. 437 (7061): 1007–1011. Bibcode:2005Natur.437.1007M. doi:10.1038/nature03996. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 16222297.
- ↑ Motta, Matías J.; Agnolín, Federico L.; Brissón Egli, Federico; Novas, Fernando E. (2020-05-28). "New theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia sheds light on the paravian radiation in Gondwana". The Science of Nature. 107 (3) 24. Bibcode:2020SciNa.107...24M. doi:10.1007/s00114-020-01682-1. ISSN 0028-1042. PMID 32468191.
- ↑ Novas, Fernando E.; Pol, Diego (February 2005). "New evidence on deinonychosaurian dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Nature. 433 (7028): 858–861. Bibcode:2005Natur.433..858N. doi:10.1038/nature03285. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 15729340.
- ↑ Novas, Fernando E.; Puertat, Pablo F. (May 1997). "New evidence concerning avian origins from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Nature. 387 (6631): 390–392. Bibcode:1997Natur.387..390N. doi:10.1038/387390a0. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ↑ Novas, Fernando E; Pol, Diego; Canale, Juan I; Porfiri, Juan D; Calvo, Jorge O (2008-12-16). "A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosaurids". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1659): 1101–1107. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1554. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 2679073. PMID 19129109.
- ↑ Porfiri, Juan D.; Calvo, Jorge O.; Santos, Domenica dos (March 2011). "A new small deinonychosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagônia, Argentina". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 83 (1): 109–116. doi:10.1590/s0001-37652011000100007. ISSN 0001-3765. PMID 21437378.
- ↑ Moyano-Paz, D.; Rozadilla, S.; Agnolín, F.; Vera, E.; Coronel, M.D.; Varela, A.N.; Gómez-Dacal, A.R.; Aranciaga-Rolando, A.M.; D'Angelo, J.; Pérez-Loinaze, V.; Richiano, S.; Chimento, N.; Motta, M.J.; Sterli, J.; Manabe, M. (February 2022). "The uppermost Cretaceous continental deposits at the southern end of Patagonia, the Chorrillo Formation case study (Austral-Magallanes Basin): Sedimentology, fossil content and regional implications". Cretaceous Research. 130 105059. Bibcode:2022CrRes.13005059M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105059. ISSN 0195-6671.
- ↑ Novas, Fernando; Agnolin, Federico; Rozadilla, Sebastián; Aranciaga-Rolando, Alexis; Brissón-Eli, Federico; Motta, Matias; Cerroni, Mauricio; Ezcurra, Martín; Martinelli, Agustin; D´Angelo, Julia; Álvarez-Herrera, Gerardo; Gentil, Adriel; Bogan, Sergio; Chimento, Nicolas; García-Marsà, Jordi (2019). "Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina". Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales. 21: 217–293. doi:10.22179/revmacn.21.655. ISSN 1514-5158.