May I request some paleognaths?
DAWN OF THE PALEOGNATHS!!!
IT HAS BEGUN!!!
YOU'RE IN FOR IT NOW MOTHER FUCKERS!!!
So, let's explain to the kids in the peanut gallery, that aren't obsessed with bird taxonomy and evolution, what a Paleognath is...
This is an infraclass of birds that are considered to be "primitive" in their anatomy. They have primitive more reptilian palates, and they have penises (which is something most other birds have lost through evolution), as well as some other anatomical traits. Primitive, meaning they have some traits of earlier birds.
We don't use the term living fossil here at the blog, as every living thing today is the result of 4 billion years of evolution, and has changed and adapted and continues to do so.
Paleognaths probably diverged from other groups of birds in the Early Cretaceous.
Some people confuse this grouping with the ratites (ostriches, rheas, cassowaries, emus), but the ratites are a group of paleognaths. (What I'm trying to get across here is that the other paleognath birds I'm going to name are not ratites, they're just closely related).
There has been some dispute over the years as to whether the Paleognathae are polyphyletic (not actually evolutionary closely related but different groups that we have grouped for the sake of ease and similar traits). Recent anatomical and genetic analysis strongly favors them being monophyletic (an actual single closely related evolutionary lineage).
Most members of this group are flightless.
Here are the groups of Paleognaths:
Ostriches
Rheas
Cassowaries and Emus
Kiwis
Tinamous
Elephant Birds (extinct)
Moas (extinct)
Lithornids (extinct, may be polyphyletic)
Masai or East African Ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus), male, family Struthionidae, order Struthioniformes, Masai Mara, Kenya
A subspecies of the Common Ostrich.
The largest species of bird in the world, standing up to 8.86 ft (2.7 m) tall.
Flightless.
photograph byKmb Prasad
Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), family Rheidae, order Rheiformes, found in central and eastern South America
Flightless
Standing up to 5 ft 7 in tall
photograph by Rufus46
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), family Casuariidae, order Casuariiformes, Flinders Ranges, SA, Australia
Flightless
Standing up to 6.25 ft (1.91 m) tall.
photograph by Greg Wisnia
Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), father with eggs, family Casuariidae, northern Australia
Flightless
Standing up to 1.9Â m (6Â ft 3Â in) tall.
Photograph by VestorStudio
Puna Tinamou (Tinamotis pentlandii), family Tinamidae, order Tinamiformes, found in Puna (high altitude grassland) in the Southern Andes Mountains of South America.
The tinamous are an ancient group of birds, related to ratites (ostriches, rheas, emus, and cassowaries).
Though they are not strong flyers, they are capable of flight.
photograph by Luke Seitz
North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), Apterygidae, order Apterygiformes, widespread in the northern 2/3 of the North Island of New Zealand
VULNERABLE.
photograph by Tui de Roi
Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus), family Aepyornis, order Aepyornithiformes, Found in Madagascar
EXTINCT (Sometime around 1000 AD)
These huge birds reached a height of up to 3 (9.8Â ft), and a weight of up to 1,000 kg (2,200Â lb).
illustration by George de Lodge
South Island Giant Moa (Dinornis robustus), family Dinornithidae, order Dinornithiformes, was found on the South Island of New Zealand
EXTINCT.
Flightless
Possible the tallest bird species to have existed, standing up to 3.6 metres (11Â ft 10Â in) tall.
images: Joseph Smit & Paleoneolitic
Lithornis, family Lithornidae, order Lithorniformes, known from Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene
Capable of flight
6 species
illustration by Sheatherius
