Mullerornis

Mullerornis; Temporal range:Quaternary PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Palaeognathae
Order:	†Aepyornithiformes
Genus:	†Mullerornis; Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894
Type species
	Mullerornis betsilei; Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894
Species
	M. modestus(Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1869) Hansford & Turvey 2018;
	Map ofMadagascarshowing where specimens have been found
Synonyms
	FlacourtiaAndrews 1895; Aepyornis modestusMilne-Edwards & Grandidier 1869; Mullerornis agilisMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Mullerornis betsileiMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Mullerornis rudisMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Flacourtia rudis(Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894) Andrews 1895; ?Mullerornis grandisLamberton 1934;

Mullerornis modestusis an extinct species ofelephant bird,and the only member of the genusMullerornis.

Taxonomy

The genus is named after Georges Muller, a French explorer, who was killed in 1892 by hostile members of theSakalava people.

Synonyms ofMullerornis modestus

Mullerornis betsileiMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894^[2](Betsileo elephant bird)
Mullerornis agilisMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894(agile/coastal elephant bird)
Mullerornis rudisMilne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894^[1](robust elephant bird)
?Mullerornis grandisLamberton 1934(holotype destroyed in a fire in 1995)

Description

Restoration of aM. modestuspair roosting during the day.

Mullerornisis smaller than the more well-knownAepyornis,^[3]^[4]with a still substantial body mass of approximately 80 kilograms (180 lb).^[5]A bone possibly belonging toMullerornishas beenradiocarbon datedto about 1260BP,^[6]suggesting that the animal was still extant at the end of the first millennium.^[7]Aepyornis modestuswas shown by Hansford and Turvey (2018) to be a senior synonym of all nominalMullerornisspecies described by Milne-Edwards and Grandidier (1894), resulting in the new combinationMullerornis modestus.^[8]

Palaeobiology

Nocturnality

Like other elephant birds and itskiwirelatives,Mullerornisprobably was nocturnal based on the small size of its optic lobes, though it shows less optical lobe reduction than these other taxa, implying slightly morecrepuscularhabits.^[9]

Diet

Isotopic evidence suggests thatMullerorniswas likely abrowsingherbivore.^[10]

Reproduction

The eggs ofMullerornisare substantially smaller than those ofAepyornis,weighting approximately 0.86 kilograms (1.9 lb), with a shell thickness of about1.1 mm (3⁄64in).^[5]

Footnotes

^^a ^bDavies, S. J. J. F. (2003)
^Julian P. Hume; Michael Walters (2012).Extinct birds.T&AD Poyser. p. 544.ISBN 978-1408158616.
^Burney, et al. (1997), p. 763
^MacPhee, et al. (1985), table II
^^a ^bGrealy, Alicia; Miller, Gifford H.; Phillips, Matthew J.; Clarke, Simon J.; Fogel, Marilyn; Patalwala, Diana; Rigby, Paul; Hubbard, Alysia; Demarchi, Beatrice; Collins, Matthew; Mackie, Meaghan; Sakalauskaite, Jorune; Stiller, Josefin; Clarke, Julia A.; Legendre, Lucas J. (2023-02-28)."Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird".Nature Communications.14(1): 914.Bibcode:2023NatCo..14..914G.doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36405-3.ISSN 2041-1723.PMC9974994.PMID 36854679.
^Burney, et al. (2004), p. 50
^Burney et al. (2004), p. 25
^Hansford, J. P.; Turvey, S. T. (2018-09-26). "Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (9): 181295. doi:10.1098/rsos.181295.
^Christopher R. Torres & Julia A. Clarke. 2018. Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions. Proc. R. Soc. B 285 (1890); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1540
^Hansford, James P.; Turvey, Samuel T. (April 2022)."Dietary isotopes of Madagascar's extinct megafauna reveal Holocene browsing and grazing guilds".Biology Letters.18(4): 20220094.doi:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0094.ISSN 1744-957X.PMC9006009.PMID 35414222.

References

Burney, David A.; James, Helen F.; Grady, Frederick V.; Rafamantanantsoa, Jean-Gervais; Ramilisonina; Wright, Henry T.; Cowart, James B. (1997)."Environmental change, extinction and human activity: Evidence from caves in NW Madagascar"(PDF).Journal of Biogeography.24(6):755–767.Bibcode:1997JBiog..24..755B.doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00146.x.hdl:2027.42/75139.
Burney, David A.; Burney, Lida Pigott; Godfrey, Laurie R.; Jungers, William L.; Goodman, Steven M.; Wright, Henry T.; Jull, A. J. Timothy (2004). "A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar".Journal of Human Evolution.47(1–2):25–63.Bibcode:2004JHumE..47...25B.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.05.005.PMID 15288523.
Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003). "Elephant birds". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.).Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia.Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp.103–104.ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
MacPhee, R. D. E.; Burney, David A.; Wells, N. A. (1985). "Early Holocene chronology and environment ofAmpasambazimba,a Malagasy subfossil lemur site ".International Journal of Primatology.6(5):463–489.doi:10.1007/BF02735571.S2CID 44449535.

[Davies-1] Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)

[2] Julian P. Hume; Michael Walters (2012).Extinct birds.T&AD Poyser. p. 544.ISBN 978-1408158616.

[3] Burney, et al. (1997), p. 763

[4] MacPhee, et al. (1985), table II

[Molecular_exploration_of_fossil_eggshell_uncovers_hidden_lineage_of_giant_extinct_bird-5] Grealy, Alicia; Miller, Gifford H.; Phillips, Matthew J.; Clarke, Simon J.; Fogel, Marilyn; Patalwala, Diana; Rigby, Paul; Hubbard, Alysia; Demarchi, Beatrice; Collins, Matthew; Mackie, Meaghan; Sakalauskaite, Jorune; Stiller, Josefin; Clarke, Julia A.; Legendre, Lucas J. (2023-02-28)."Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird".Nature Communications.14(1): 914.Bibcode:2023NatCo..14..914G.doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36405-3.ISSN 2041-1723.PMC9974994.PMID 36854679.

[6] Burney, et al. (2004), p. 50

[7] Burney et al. (2004), p. 25

[8] Hansford, J. P.; Turvey, S. T. (2018-09-26). "Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (9): 181295. doi:10.1098/rsos.181295.

[9] Christopher R. Torres & Julia A. Clarke. 2018. Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions. Proc. R. Soc. B 285 (1890); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1540

[10] Hansford, James P.; Turvey, Samuel T. (April 2022)."Dietary isotopes of Madagascar's extinct megafauna reveal Holocene browsing and grazing guilds".Biology Letters.18(4): 20220094.doi:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0094.ISSN 1744-957X.PMC9006009.PMID 35414222.

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