Eoalulavis hoyasi
By José Carlos Cortés on @quetzalcuetzpalin-art
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Name: Eoalulavis hoyasi
Name Meaning: Dawn Bastard Wing Bird
First Described: 1996
Described By: Sanz et al.
Classification: Dinosauria, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Enantiornithes
Eoalulavis was an Opposite Bird from Las Hoyas, Spain, living about 125 million years ago, in the Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, and it is known from much of the skeleton as well as preserved soft tissue. Eoalulavis was about 9 centimeters long, with a wingspan greater than 20 centimeters - meaning it had extremely long wings, with the lower arm twice the length of first hand bones and much longer than the upper long. It also had well developed wing feathers, and a fercula suited for wing flapping, which all indicate that it was well built for flight. It had an hourglass shaped sternum, which potentially indicates it is known from a juvenile. Its stomach contained crustaceans, showing that it fed on marine life, foraging in or near the water and acting as shoreline generalists (given that it was, after all, only about the size of a finch).
Sources:
Martyniuk, M. P. 2012. A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and other Winged Dinosaurs. Pan Aves; Vernon, New Jersey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eoalulavis
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