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Flexomornis

Say it: FLEK-so-MOR-nis

Name means: “flexed shoulder bird”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsLate Cretaceous

Flexomornis was an ancient bird that lived about 96 million years ago. It flew over the coasts of Texas, USA, and ate meat like small fish or insects. This bird is one of the oldest known enantiornithine birds from North America.2 3

Lived

100 to 94 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Grapevine Lake Dam Spillway, Tarrant County, Texas, USA2 3

Food

Meat3

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Flexomornis lived about 96 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.2

Its fossils were found in the Woodbine Formation of Texas, near a dam spillway.2

Flexomornis is an enantiornithine bird, a group that had teeth and clawed wings.2

The name Flexomornis means 'flexed shoulder bird' because its shoulder blade is bent.1

Only one species is known, Flexomornis howei, named after fossil hunter Kris Howe.1

These fossils are the oldest known enantiornithine bird remains from North America.2

Flexomornis lived near the coast, and its fossils were found with sharks, turtles, and dinosaurs.2

AI-made picture of Flexomornis — An AI-made picture of how Flexomornis might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Flexomornis
Named by: Tykoski and Fiorillo 20103
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Enantiornithes3
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae3
Age of the rocks: 100 to 94 million years (Cenomanian)3
Rock formations: Lewisville3
Countries: USA3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Flexomornis was named in 2010 by paleontologists Ronald Tykoski and Anthony Fiorillo. The fossils were found by amateur fossil hunter Kris Howe near Grapevine Lake in Texas.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Flexomornis is the oldest North American bird, because some isolated teeth from Utah might be older.2

Where the facts come from

Flexomornis (en.wikipedia.org)
An enantiornithine bird from the lower middle Cenomanian of Texas (tandfonline.com)
Flexomornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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