Soaring Styles of Extinct Giant Birds and Pterosaurs
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Evolution and Presence of Diurnal Predatory Birds in the Carpathian Basin
Ornis Hungarica 2018. 26(1): 102–123. DOI: 10.1515/orhu-2018-0008 Evolution and presence of diurnal predatory birds in the Carpathian Basin Jenő (Eugen) KESSLER Received: February 05, 2018 – Revised: May 03, 2018 – Accepted: May 08, 2018 Kessler, J. (E.) 2018. Evolution and presence of diurnal predatory birds (Ord. Accipitriformes, and Falconiformes) in the Carpathian Basin. – Ornis Hungarica 26(1): 102–123. DOI: 10.1515/ orhu-2018-0008 Abstract The author describes the presence of the oldest extinct diurnal birds of prey species in the world and fossilized representatives of different families, as well as the presence of recent species in the Car- pathian Basin among fossilized remains. In case of ospreys, one of the oldest known materials is classified as a new extinct species named Pandion pannonicus. The text is supplemented by a plate and a size chart. Keywords: birds of prey, evolution, Carpathian Basin, Osprey, eagles, buzzards, vultures, falcons, Pandion pan- nonicus sp.n. Összefoglalás A szerző bemutatja a nappali ragadozók kihalt fajait és a különböző családok fosszilis képviselő- it, valamint a recens fajok Kárpát-medencei jelenlétét a fosszilis maradványokban. A halászsasok között itt kerül először leírásra egy új faj is (Pandion pannonicus), amely egyben az egyik legrégebbi is az eddig ismert anyagok- ból. A szöveget egy ábra és egy mérettáblázat egészíti ki. Kulcsszavak: ragadozó madarak, evolúció, Kárpát-medence, halászsas, sas, ölyv, keselyű, sólyom, Pandion pan- nonicus sp.n. Department of Paleontology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Hungary, e-mail: [email protected] Introduction Accipitridae is the most populous family in terms of species (eagles, goshawks, kites, harri- ers and vultures belong in the group). -
Amazing Facts the King Vulture Is the Only Surviving Member of the Genus Sarcoramphus
King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa Bird Scientific Name Sarcoramphus papa Other Names None Range South and Central America from Mexico to northern Argentina Habitat Savannas, tropical forests and grasslands Description A large, white vulture with grayish-black wings and tail feathers, and a pronounced skin flap (caruncle) on the upper beak. The head and neck are bald with the skin color varying in Behavior color including yellow, orange, blue, purple, These birds are diurnal, spending their daytime hours soaring high in and red. the sky on thermals searching for food using keen eyesight. They are Average Size considered resident birds that are non-migratory and maintain a set Height: 20 in. home range. King Vultures are often seen alone or in small family groups Wingspan: 5.5 – 6.5 ft. numbering approximately 15 individuals, and will tolerate other animals and Weight: 6 – 10 lbs. vulture species in the same proximity. Even though they are the dominant vulture at the feeding site and usually the first to arrive, they are not Lifespan territorial with the smaller vultures that feed alongside them. In the wild: Estimated at 25 years The head and neck of the King Vulture lack feathers to help prevent In captivity: Up to 35 years infections and to keep the remains of the carcass from damaging the feathers. After eating, Vultures relax in the sun and allow the heat to bake Diet off the bacteria. In the wild: Carrion In captivity: Rodents, fish and prepared meat Reproduction and Breeding Incubation There is limited information on wild courtship and breeding of this species, 53 – 58 days but because they breed well in captivity, there is reliable data from numerous captive settings. -
From the Middle Eocene of Belgium
[Palaeontology, Vol. 53, Part 2, 2010, pp. 365–376] BONY-TOOTHED BIRDS (AVES: PELAGORNITHIDAE) FROM THE MIDDLE EOCENE OF BELGIUM by GERALD MAYR* and THIERRY SMITH *Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Sektion Ornithologie, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; e-mail [email protected] Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Paleontology, Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium; e-mail [email protected] Typescript received 7 April 2009; accepted in revised form 19 July 2009 Abstract: We describe well-preserved remains of the Pelag- deidae (albatrosses) in overall morphology, but because ornithidae (bony-toothed birds) from the middle Eocene of bony-toothed birds lack apomorphies of the Procellariifor- Belgium, including a sternum, pectoral girdle bones and mes, the similarities are almost certainly owing to conver- humeri of a single individual. The specimens are tentatively gence. Bony-toothed birds were often compared with the assigned to Macrodontopteryx oweni Harrison and Walker, ‘Pelecaniformes’ by previous authors, who especially made 1976, which has so far only been known from the holotype comparisons with the Sulidae (gannets and boobies). How- skull and a referred proximal ulna. Another species, about ever, the coracoid distinctly differs from that of extant ‘pelec- two times larger, is represented by an incomplete humerus aniform’ birds, and the plesiomorphic presence of a foramen and tentatively identified as Dasornis emuinus (Bowerbank, nervi supracoracoidei as well as the absence of a well- 1854). The fossils provide critical new data on the osteology delimited articulation facet for the furcula supports a of the pectoral girdle of bony-toothed birds. For the first position outside the Suloidea, the clade to which the Sulidae time, the sternum of one of the smaller species is preserved, belong. -
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A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans Robert W. BOESSENECKER Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Walk, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054 (New Zealand) and Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University 200 Traphagen Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59715 (USA) and University of California Museum of Paleontology 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720 (USA) [email protected] Boessenecker R. W. 2013. — A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans. Geodiversitas 35 (4): 815-940. http://dx.doi.org/g2013n4a5 ABSTRACT e newly discovered Upper Miocene to Upper Pliocene San Gregorio assem- blage of the Purisima Formation in Central California has yielded a diverse collection of 34 marine vertebrate taxa, including eight sharks, two bony fish, three marine birds (described in a previous study), and 21 marine mammals. Pinnipeds include the walrus Dusignathus sp., cf. D. seftoni, the fur seal Cal- lorhinus sp., cf. C. gilmorei, and indeterminate otariid bones. Baleen whales include dwarf mysticetes (Herpetocetus bramblei Whitmore & Barnes, 2008, Herpetocetus sp.), two right whales (cf. Eubalaena sp. 1, cf. Eubalaena sp. 2), at least three balaenopterids (“Balaenoptera” cortesi “var.” portisi Sacco, 1890, cf. Balaenoptera, Balaenopteridae gen. et sp. indet.) and a new species of rorqual (Balaenoptera bertae n. sp.) that exhibits a number of derived features that place it within the genus Balaenoptera. is new species of Balaenoptera is relatively small (estimated 61 cm bizygomatic width) and exhibits a comparatively nar- row vertex, an obliquely (but precipitously) sloping frontal adjacent to vertex, anteriorly directed and short zygomatic processes, and squamosal creases. -
Trade in Andean Condor Vulture Gryphus Feathers and Body Parts in the City of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Cusco Region, Peru Robert S
Vulture News 61 September 2011 Trade in Andean Condor Vulture gryphus feathers and body parts in the city of Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Cusco region, Peru Robert S. R. Williams1*, Jose Luis Jara1, Daphne Matsufuiji2 and Anahi Plenge2 1Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Andean Condor Working Group – Peru 2Clorinda Matto de Turner 305, Urb. Magisterio, Cusco, Peru *Corresponding author: [email protected] Summary The sale of Andean Condor feathers and body parts is undertaken openly in the tourist markets of Cusco and the Sacred Valley. This trade is illegal but there is no enforcement of existing legislation. We visited the main tourist markets of the region to ascertain the extent of the trade, reasons motivating it and value. We found condor feathers for sale in 26 establishments. Feathers were sold singly, decorated and incorporated in handicrafts. Prices ranged from 5 soles for a small body feather to 160 soles for a main primary and we found handicrafts for sale at prices of up to 650 soles (featuring 6 feathers). We were offered a whole condor for sale at a market in Cusco for 2,500 soles. Investigations revealed that there are condor hunters working to supply this trade in both the Cordillera Vilcabamba and Cordillera Vilcanota and that the town of Calca is the base of much of the handicraft production. The trade is mainly based on three uses: alternative healing, shamanic ceremonies and souvenirs. It is crucial that the Peruvian authorities honour their commitments under international conventions and act immediately to stop this illegal trade, which is further threatening a species that is already in a precarious situation. -
N E W S a N D C O M M E N
N E W S A N D C O M M E N T S ARGENTAVIS MAGNIFICENS: WORLD’S LARGEST FLYING BIRD Recently the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum displayed parts of a skeleton of the biggest known bird that ever flew. Looming over the entrance hall, a black silhouette of Argentavis magnificens spans its wings over 8 m and stands 3.5 m from tip of tail to end of beak. This is almost twice the size of Teratornis merriami which, until now, had been considered the largest size to which flying avians could evolve. Argentavis magnificens (new genus and species) has now wrested the title of “World’s largest flying bird” from Osteodotornis orri, the gigantic marine bird from the Miocene of California. E. Tonni and R. Pascual of the National Museum of La Plata, Argentina, uncovered the fossil remains of A. magnificens from the banks of Salinas Grandes de Hidalgo in the Argentine province of La Pampa, 400 miles SW of Buenos Aires. Their collection included portions of the skull, the coracoid, the left humerus (incomplete), a portion of the ulna and right radius, the right tibiotarsus, one end of metacarpal II, a portion of meta- carpal III, and a shaft of right tarsometatarsus. Systematics: Order. Accipitriformes Family. Teratornithidae New genus and species. Argentavis magnificens Etymology: Greek teretos (wonder) and ornis (bird) Latin argentum (silver) and avis (bird) This discovery did not come to the attention of the international scientific world until K. E. Campbell, curator of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum and specialist in teratorns of Rancho La Brea, visited La Plata’s Museum and with Tonni began a detailed study of the collected fossils. -
Onetouch 4.0 Scanned Documents
/ Chapter 2 THE FOSSIL RECORD OF BIRDS Storrs L. Olson Department of Vertebrate Zoology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC. I. Introduction 80 II. Archaeopteryx 85 III. Early Cretaceous Birds 87 IV. Hesperornithiformes 89 V. Ichthyornithiformes 91 VI. Other Mesozojc Birds 92 VII. Paleognathous Birds 96 A. The Problem of the Origins of Paleognathous Birds 96 B. The Fossil Record of Paleognathous Birds 104 VIII. The "Basal" Land Bird Assemblage 107 A. Opisthocomidae 109 B. Musophagidae 109 C. Cuculidae HO D. Falconidae HI E. Sagittariidae 112 F. Accipitridae 112 G. Pandionidae 114 H. Galliformes 114 1. Family Incertae Sedis Turnicidae 119 J. Columbiformes 119 K. Psittaciforines 120 L. Family Incertae Sedis Zygodactylidae 121 IX. The "Higher" Land Bird Assemblage 122 A. Coliiformes 124 B. Coraciiformes (Including Trogonidae and Galbulae) 124 C. Strigiformes 129 D. Caprimulgiformes 132 E. Apodiformes 134 F. Family Incertae Sedis Trochilidae 135 G. Order Incertae Sedis Bucerotiformes (Including Upupae) 136 H. Piciformes 138 I. Passeriformes 139 X. The Water Bird Assemblage 141 A. Gruiformes 142 B. Family Incertae Sedis Ardeidae 165 79 Avian Biology, Vol. Vlll ISBN 0-12-249408-3 80 STORES L. OLSON C. Family Incertae Sedis Podicipedidae 168 D. Charadriiformes 169 E. Anseriformes 186 F. Ciconiiformes 188 G. Pelecaniformes 192 H. Procellariiformes 208 I. Gaviiformes 212 J. Sphenisciformes 217 XI. Conclusion 217 References 218 I. Introduction Avian paleontology has long been a poor stepsister to its mammalian counterpart, a fact that may be attributed in some measure to an insufRcien- cy of qualified workers and to the absence in birds of heterodont teeth, on which the greater proportion of the fossil record of mammals is founded. -
A Condor from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas
338 Vol. 61 A CONDOR FROM THE UPPER PLIOCENE OF KANSAS By HARRISON B. TORDOFF Until recently, vulture remains were absent from the collection of several hundred fossil avian bones collected over the past twenty years by Claude W. Hibbard and his associatesin Kansas. This gap in the otherwise fairly complete Rexroad avifauna of the Upper Pliocene was filled in the summer of 1958, when Hibbard’s party found a tarso- metatarsus in nearly perfect condition. The bone is that of an undescribed American vulture which was larger than a modern King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) but smaller than a California Condor (Gymnogyps californa'anus). The fossil and Recent speciesof the Cathartidae are well known through the careful work of Loye Miller, Hildegarde Howard, and Harvey I. Fisher, whose researchesprovide a sound basis for study of this new vulture. The Rexroad speciesappears to parallel Teratornis merriami in some respects.Never- theless, it clearly belongs to the Cathartidae rather than to the Teratornithidae because it has the following distinctively cathartid characteristics (Miller and Howard, 1938: 169) : Facet for metatarsal I faces posterolaterally rather than posteriorly as in Terator- nithidae; intercotylar tuberosity high and conspicuous, not low and rounded; hypo- tarsal block not as symmetrically quadrangular as in Teratornithidae and separated from head of tarsometatarsus by a narrow groove, rather than by a broad, smooth de- pression; excavation of shaft on anterior face below head deep and sharply vaulted proximally, instead of blending into head as in Teratornithidae (Cathartes, however, re- sembles the Teratornithidae in this respect, rather than its relatives in the Cathartidae). -
Biography of a "Feathered Pig": the California Condor Conservation
Journal of the History of Biology 37: 557–583, 2004. 557 Ó 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Biography of a ‘‘Feathered Pig’’: The California Condor Conservation Controversy PETER S. ALAGONA Department of History Institute of the Environment University of California, Los Angeles USA E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. In the early 20th century, after hundreds of years of gradual decline, the California condor emerged as an object of intensive scientific study, an important conservation target, and a cultural icon of the American wilderness preservation movement. Early condor researchers generally believed that the species’ survival de- pended upon the preservation of its wilderness habitat. However, beginning in the 1970s, a new generation of scientists argued that no amount of wilderness could prevent the condor’s decline and that only intensive scientific management - including captive breeding - could save the species from certain extinction. A bitter and highly politicized battle soon developed over how to best preserve the condor. For 5 years the condor was extinct in the wild; however, by the time that officials released the first captive-bred birds the condor recovery program had garnered widespread public support, even among its former critics. Today, condor advocates from the scientific and activist communities work together to manage the species and protect its habitat. The condor’s story illus- trates some of the tensions, problems, and successes that have accompanied the rise of conservation biology as a scientific field and environmental movement in the United States. Keywords: California condor, conservation biology, endangered species, wildlife man- agement Introduction On Easter Sunday 1987, a team of scientists, conservationists, and government officials finally caught up with Adult Condor-9, a 7-year old male California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) that had previously demonstrated an uncanny ability to evade his would-be captors (Fig- ure 1). -
Titanis Walleri: Bones of Contention
Bull. Fla. Mus. Nat. Hist. (2005) 45(4): 201-229 201 TITANIS WALLERI: BONES OF CONTENTION Gina C. Gould1 and Irvy R. Quitmyer2 Titanis walleri, one of the largest and possibly the last surviving member of the otherwise South American Phorusrhacidae is re- considered in light of all available data. The only verified phorusrhacid recovered in North America, Titanis was believed to exhibit a forward-extending arm with a flexible claw instead of a traditional bird wing like the other members of this extinct group. Our review of the already described and undescribed Titanis material housed at the Florida Museum of Natural History suggest that Titanis: (1) was like other phorusrhacids in sporting small, ineffectual ratite-like wings; (2) was among the tallest of the known phorusrhacids; and (3) is the last known member of its lineage. Hypotheses of its range extending into the Pleistocene of Texas are challenged, and herein Titanis is presumed to have suffered the same fate of many other Pliocene migrants of the Great American Interchange: extinction prior to the Pleistocene. Key Words: Phorusrhacidae; Great American Biotic Interchange; Florida; Pliocene; Titanis INTRODUCTION men on the tarsometatarsus, these specimens were as- Titanis walleri (Brodkorb 1963), more commonly known signed to the Family Phorusrhacidae (Brodkorb 1963) as the North American ‘Terror Bird’, is one of the larg- and named after both a Titan Goddess from Greek my- est known phorusrhacids, an extinct group of flightless thology and Benjamin Waller, the discoverer of the fos- carnivorous birds from the Tertiary of South America, sils (Zimmer 1997). Since then, isolated Titanis mate- and most likely, the last known member of its lineage rial has been recovered from three other localities in (Brodkorb 1967; Tonni 1980; Marshall 1994; Alvarenga Florida (Table 1; Fig. -
Alexander 2013 Principles-Of-Animal-Locomotion.Pdf
.................................................... Principles of Animal Locomotion Principles of Animal Locomotion ..................................................... R. McNeill Alexander PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON AND OXFORD Copyright © 2003 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 3 Market Place, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SY All Rights Reserved Second printing, and first paperback printing, 2006 Paperback ISBN-13: 978-0-691-12634-0 Paperback ISBN-10: 0-691-12634-8 The Library of Congress has cataloged the cloth edition of this book as follows Alexander, R. McNeill. Principles of animal locomotion / R. McNeill Alexander. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 0-691-08678-8 (alk. paper) 1. Animal locomotion. I. Title. QP301.A2963 2002 591.47′9—dc21 2002016904 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Galliard and Bulmer Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ pup.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America 1098765432 Contents ............................................................... PREFACE ix Chapter 1. The Best Way to Travel 1 1.1. Fitness 1 1.2. Speed 2 1.3. Acceleration and Maneuverability 2 1.4. Endurance 4 1.5. Economy of Energy 7 1.6. Stability 8 1.7. Compromises 9 1.8. Constraints 9 1.9. Optimization Theory 10 1.10. Gaits 12 Chapter 2. Muscle, the Motor 15 2.1. How Muscles Exert Force 15 2.2. Shortening and Lengthening Muscle 22 2.3. Power Output of Muscles 26 2.4. Pennation Patterns and Moment Arms 28 2.5. Power Consumption 31 2.6. Some Other Types of Muscle 34 Chapter 3. -
Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV
PhD Dissertations and Master's Theses Summer 7-2021 Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV Gladston Joseph [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/edt Part of the Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Commons, Aeronautical Vehicles Commons, Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons, Other Aerospace Engineering Commons, and the Propulsion and Power Commons Scholarly Commons Citation Joseph, Gladston, "Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV" (2021). PhD Dissertations and Master's Theses. 599. https://commons.erau.edu/edt/599 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in PhD Dissertations and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Design and Flight-Path Simulation of a Dynamic-Soaring UAV By Gladston Joseph A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering July 2021 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, Florida Daewon Kim 8/3/2021 8/3/2021 8/3/2021 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” - Genesis 1:1 NKJV I would like to thank my advisors, Dr. Vladimir Golubev, and Dr. Snorri Gudmundsson for their expertise, guidance and the moral support. I would also like to extend my acknowledgement to Dr. William Mackunis and Dr. Hever Moncayo for their guidance in the development of control laws. My gratitude goes towards my father, Mr.