Janavis

Janavis
Temporal range: Late Maastrichtian
66.8–66.7 Ma
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Clade: †Ichthyornithes
Genus: †Janavis
Benito et al. 2022
Type species
†Janavis finalidens
Benito et al. 2022
Janavis on a beach

Janavis (from the Roman god Janus and the Latin avis for bird) is an extinct toothed bird, belonging to the Ichthyornithes, from the Late Cretaceous of Belgium. The genus has one named species, Janavis finalidens (from Latin finalis, meaning ending or final, and dens, for tooth) that was discovered in the 1990s,[1] reported in 2002,[2] and described in 2022.[3] Recovered almost simultaneously from the same area and age as Asteriornis maastrichtensis, then the oldest known modern bird,[4] it provides information on the evolution and divergence of basal and modern birds, especially on the evolutionary modifications of bird skulls.[5]

  1. ^ Davis, Nicola (2022-11-30). "CT scans of toothed bird fossil leads to jaw-dropping discovery". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  2. ^ Dyke, Gareth J.; Dortangs, Rudi W.; Jagt, John W. M.; Mulder, Eric W. A.; Schulp, Anne S.; Chiappe, Luis M. (2002). "Europe's last Mesozoic bird". Die Naturwissenschaften. 89 (9): 408–411. Bibcode:2002NW.....89..408D. doi:10.1007/s00114-002-0352-9. ISSN 0028-1042. PMID 12435093. S2CID 2704882.
  3. ^ Benito, Juan; Kuo, Pei-Chen; Widrig, Klara E.; Jagt, John W. M.; Field, Daniel J. (2022). "Cretaceous ornithurine supports a neognathous crown bird ancestor". Nature. 612 (7938): 100–105. Bibcode:2022Natur.612..100B. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05445-y. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 36450906. S2CID 254099216.
  4. ^ Davis, Nicola (2020-03-18). "'Wonderchicken': oldest fossil of modern bird discovered". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  5. ^ "Cambridge University: Fossil overturns knowledge about origin of birds". BBC News. 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2022-12-07.