Ichthyornis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids IchthyornisTemporal range: Upper Cretaceous
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Subclass: |
†Ichthyornithes
|
| Genus: |
†Ichthyornis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ichthyornis dispar Marsh, 1872
|
|
Ichthyornis (say "ick-thee-OR-nis") means "fish bird." It was a type of bird that looked a lot like a modern-day tern. These birds lived a very long time ago, about 93 to 83.5 million years ago, during a time called the Upper Cretaceous period. Ichthyornis birds lived in groups, built their nests along coastlines, and hunted for fish. They lived near a huge inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway, which covered parts of what is now North America.
About Ichthyornis
Ichthyornis was a small bird, only about 8 inches (20 cm) long. It had a big head, a long beak, and jaws that had teeth! This is different from most modern birds, which do not have teeth.
Ichthyornis was a strong flyer. It is the oldest known bird to have a special bone called a keeled breastbone (or sternum). This bone is shaped like the keel of a boat. It helps anchor the strong flight muscles, just like in modern birds.
Discovery of Ichthyornis
The first fossils of Ichthyornis were found in 1872. They were discovered in Kansas by Benjamin Franklin Mudge. He was a professor at Kansas State Agricultural College.
Later, Othniel Charles Marsh from Yale University studied and named these first fossils. Since then, more Ichthyornis fossils have been found. They have been discovered in Kansas, Texas, and Alberta, Canada.
Images for kids
-
Relative size of two I. dispar specimens: YPM 1742, blue, and YPM 1450, green, compared with a human. Both specimens were adult, but YPM 1450 is approximately one million years older.
-
Restoration of I. dispar
-
Skeletal restoration based on the holotype of I. dispar
-
Cast of the original composite panel mount of "I. victor" (now I. dispar), Peabody Museum of Natural History
-
Mandible and vertebra
See also
In Spanish: Ichthyornis para niños
