Gastornis
genus of birds (fossil) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gastornis, formerly known as Diatryma, is an extinct genus of large flightless birds.[2] They lived in the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs of the Cainozoic. The first remains were discovered in the mid-19th century.[1]
Quick Facts Gastornis Temporal range: Upper Palaeocene – Lower Eocene, Scientific classification ...
Gastornis Temporal range: Upper Palaeocene – Lower Eocene | |
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Gastornis skeleton | |
Scientific classification | |
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Order: | †Gastornithiformes |
Family: | †Gastornithidae |
Genus: | †Gastornis Hébert, 1855[1] |
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In the 1870s, the famous American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope discovered another, more complete set of fossils in North America, and named them Diatryma.[3]
The fossil remains of these birds have been found in western-central Europe (England, Belgium, France and Germany) as well as North America. Their life style is in dispute.[4][5]