Brevidentavis

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Brevidentavis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Aptian (~125–113 Ma)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	Avialae
Clade:	Euornithes
Clade:	Ornithuromorpha
Genus:	†Brevidentavis O' Connor et al., 2021
Species:	†B. zhangi
Binomial name
†Brevidentavis zhangi O'Connor et al., 2021

Brevidentavis (meaning "short-toothed bird") is a genus of ornithuromorph bird from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Xiagou Formation of Gansu Province, China. The genus contains a single species, Brevidentavis zhangi, known from a specimen including a partial skull and cervical vertebrae. The Brevidentavis holotype shows unusually blunt teeth in its lower jaw, which the describing authors suggest may indicate a specialized diet. Its dentition shows similarities with those of hesperornitheans, and indeed it may be an early member of that group.^[1]

Naming[]

The generic name, "Brevidentavis," combines the Latin “brevis,” meaning “short,” “dent,” meaning “tooth,” and “avis,” meaning “bird.” The specific name, "zhangi," honors , who was involved in the expedition where the holotype fossil was discovered. Its description also uses the name Brachydontornis, which means the same except the roots are in Greek.^[1]

References[]

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