Falcatakely (meaning "small scythe" from the Latin falcatus and Malagasy kely, in reference to the shape of the beak) is an extinct genus of enantiornithean bird known from partial fossils from northern Madagascar. The genus contains a single species, Falcatakely forsterae.[1][2]
| Falcatakely Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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| Life restoration of Falcatakely forsterae as an enantiornithean | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | Ornithothoraces |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Genus: | †Falcatakely O'Connor et al., 2020 |
| Species: | †F. forsterae
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| Binomial name | |
| †Falcatakely forsterae O'Connor et al., 2020
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Description
editFalcatakely was a crow-sized stem-bird that can be distinguished from all other enantiornitheans by its deep, long rostrum approx. 9 centimetres (3.5 inch) in length, which is slightly reminiscent of that of a toucan. Despite this resemblance, the upper jaw had more in common with that of the non-avian theropoda in being dominated by a large maxilla, while the smaller premaxilla made up the tip of the rostrum. This is the opposite arrangement of what we see in modern birds, where the upper beak is dominated by the premaxilla, which in Falcatakely still had teeth.[1][3]
Classification
editThe describers' phylogenetic analyses all place Falcatakely in the Enantiornithes, though its precise position is unclear. It has been recovered as a basal enantiornithean, the sister taxon of Pengornis, and in a polytomy with many other enantiornitheans.[1]
Paleoenvironment
editFalcatakely is known from the Maevarano Formation, then a swampy floodplain which seasonally alternated between being swampland in the wet season and dry semi-desert during the dry season; it was home to other unusual animals such as Simosuchus, a herbivorous crocodylomorph, Masiakasaurus, a short-armed, buck-toothed theropod, and Adalatherium, a highly unusual mammal. These forms may have evolved due to Madagascar being an isolated island during the Cretaceous.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d O'Connor, P. M.; Turner, A. H.; Groenke, J. R.; et al. (2020). "Late Cretaceous bird from Madagascar reveals unique development of beaks". Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2945-x
- ^ Black, Riley. "Tiny toucan-like bird with a single tooth flew during the dinosaur era". New Scientist. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Cretaceous-Period Bird from Madagascar Had Sickle-Shaped Beak
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