Megapaloelodus
Name:
Megapaloelodus
(Big Palaelodus).
Phonetic: Meg-ah-po-ly-dus.
Named By: A. H. Miller - 1944.
Synonyms: Megapalaelodus.
Classification: Chordata, Aves,
Phoenicopteriformes, Palaelodidae.
Species: M. connectens, M.
opsigonus. M. goliath may also represent an additional
species.
Diet: Filter feeder of aquatic animals.
Size: Average about 150 centimetres tall,
though larger individuals potentially as much as 180 centimetres
tall.
Known locations: Argentina. Mexico - Almejas
Formation. USA, California - Barstow Formation, Temblor
Formation, Oregon - Juntura Formation, South Dakota -
Batesland Formation. Possibly also Europe, refer to main text for
details.
Time period: Langhian through to the Messinian of
the Miocene.
Fossil representation: Several individuals.
Megapaloelodus
is a genus of extinct bird close in form and ecological niche to a
modern flamingo, though at the same time Megapaloelodus
was only a
distant relative. Megapaloelodus is immediately
notable for having a
distinctly different ankle structure to that of a modern flamingo.
This ankle may have allowed the leg to become locked so that
Megapaloelodus could stand upright for extended
periods, though the
specific function is still not known with absolute certainty.
Megapaloelodus
was named for its similarity to the genus Palaelodus
while also
recognising the larger overall size of Megapaloelodus.
There is
another species of Megapaloelodus occasionally
named called M.
goliath, however some researchers consider M.
goliath to actually
belong to the Palaelodus genus because this species
seems to have a
much greater similarity to this genus than to Megapaloelodus,
though
M. goliath is also significantly larger than other
Palaelodus
species.
Megapaloelodus
would have fed upon larger aquatic invertebrates as well as possibly
smaller vertebrates like fish. However it is still unknown if
Megapaloelodus had a beak similar to its closer
relative Palaelodus,
or perhaps a more specialised beak similar to a modern flamingo. At
the time of writing there is no way to know for sure, but Palaelodus
seems to have been better adapted to swimming and paddling, while
Megapaloelodus was almost certainly a dedicated
wader, which may also
increase the likelihood of a more specialised feeding option.
Further reading
- An avifauna from the lower Miocene of South Dakota. -
University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of
Geological Sciences 27(4):85-100. - A. H. Miller -
1944.
- Birds from the Pliocene of Juntera, Oregon. - Quarterly
Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 24(3):169-184. -
P. Brodkorb - 1961.
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