Macronectes tinae Temporal range: Late Pliocene
| |
---|---|
Holotype skull of M. tinae | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Procellariiformes |
Family: | Procellariidae |
Genus: | Macronectes |
Species: | †M. tinae
|
Binomial name | |
†Macronectes tinae Tennyson & Salvador, 2023
|
Macronectes tinae is an extinct species of giant petrel from the Pliocene of New Zealand. Although clearly belonging to the genus Macronectes, this species was notably smaller and less robust than either of the modern forms, possibly due to its more ancestral nature or due to the warmer climate of its environment. Like modern giant petrels it likely scavenged and hunted, feeding on the carcasses of seals and penguins as well as the chicks of other seabirds.