Paleo File- Pelagornis

Common name: Giant dragon bird
Scientific name: Pelagornis miocaenus
Year named: 1857, by Lartet
Meaning: "Miocene Pelagic bird"
Length: 50+"
Height: 4'
Wingspan: 20-24'
Weight: up to 55 lb
Time: Early Miocene
Range: Aht al Oughlam (Morocco)
Biome: Coastal seas
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary
Diet: Fish
Neighbors:
Enemies: ???
Danger Level: Medium

Common name: Dragon bird
Scientific name: Pelagornis sandersi
Year named: 2014, by Ksepka
Meaning: "Sanders' Pelagic bird"
Length: Head 16"
Height: 4'
Wingspan: 16-20'
Weight: up to 55 lb
Time: Oligocene, 28-25 mya
Range: South Carolina
Biome: Coastal seas
Frequency: Uncommon
Organization: Solitary
Diet: Fish
Neighbors:
Enemies: ???
Danger Level: Medium

Found worldwide, Pelagornis was genus of bird that lived from the Late Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene. It belonged to the Pelagornithidae, also known as pseudotooth birds. The pseudotooth birds were a mysterious family of fish-eating, sea-going birds with tooth-like knobs or spikes lining their bills. These pseudoteeth were most likely used to restrain fish upon capture.

Pelagornis had long, thin wings similar to those of a modern albatross, indicating that it may have been a long distance glider. A newly discovered species, Pelagornis sandersi, had an estimated wingspan of at least 6,4 meters, making it the largest known flying bird that ever lived.

P. sandersi had short, stumpy legs, and was probably able to fly only by hopping off cliff edges. It has been estimated that it was able to fly at up to 60 km/h (37 mph). Like all members of the Pelagornithidae, P. sandersi had tooth-like or knob-like extensions of the bill's margin, called "pseudo-teeth," which would have enabled the living animal to better grip and grasp slippery prey. According to Ksepka, P. sandersi's teeth "don’t have enamel, they don’t grow in sockets, and they aren’t lost and replaced throughout the creature’s life span."

Species:
P. miocaenus Lartet, 1857, from Early Miocene Aquitarian (France)
P. mauretanicus Mourer-Chauviré & Geraads, 2008, from Late Pliocene to Ealry Pleistocene Aht al Oughlam (Morocco)
P. chilensis Mayr & Rubilar, 2010, from Miocene Chile 7 mya
P. sandersi Ksepka, 2014, from Oligocene South Carolina