Jeholornis

Jeholornis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 122–120 Ma
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Fossil specimen of a juvenile J. prima (IVPP V13550), Paleozoological Museum of China
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Order: †Jeholornithiformes
Family: †Jeholornithidae
Genus: †Jeholornis
Zhou & Zhang, 2002
Type species
†Jeholornis prima
Zhou & Zhang, 2002
Other species
  • †J. palmapenis O'Connor et al., 2012
  • †J. curvipes Lefèvre et al., 2014
Synonyms

Jeholornis (meaning "Jehol bird") is a genus of avialan dinosaurs that lived between approximately 122 and 120 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period in China. Fossil Jeholornis were first discovered in the Jiufotang Formation in Hebei Province, China (in what was previously Rehe Province, also known as Jehol—hence the name) and additional specimens have been found in the older Yixian Formation.[1]

Jeholornis had long tails and few small teeth, and were approximately the size of turkeys,[2] making them among the largest avialans known until the Late Cretaceous. Their diet included seeds of cycads, Ginkgo or similar plants.

  1. ^ Li, D.; Sulliven, C.; Zhou, Z.; Zhang, Z. (2010). "Basal birds from China: a brief review". Chinese Birds. 1 (2): 83–96. doi:10.5122/cbirds.2010.0002. S2CID 84976296.
  2. ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2008) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages Supplementary Information