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Gobipteryx

Say it: GO-bip-ter-ix

Name means: “Gobi wing”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsLate Cretaceous

Gobipteryx was a tiny bird that lived in the Gobi Desert during the time of dinosaurs. It had a toothless beak and could fly soon after hatching, just like some baby birds today.1

Lived

84 to 66 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Gobi Desert, Mongolia (Barun Goyot Formation, Nemegt Basin)1 2

Food

Meat3

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Gobipteryx had a toothless beak, which is rare for a bird from the time of dinosaurs.1

Scientists think Gobipteryx could fly right after hatching, because its wing and shoulder bones were already strong in the egg.1

Gobipteryx was about the size of a partridge, with a skull only 45 millimeters long.1

The first Gobipteryx fossils were two damaged skulls found by a Polish-Mongolian expedition in 1971.1 2

Gobipteryx belongs to a group of ancient birds called Enantiornithes, which all went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.1

Its bones grew quickly, like those of modern birds, but its growth slowed down right after hatching.1

AI-made picture of Gobipteryx — An AI-made picture of how Gobipteryx 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.

you asked

Most asked questions about Gobipteryx

?How big was Gobipteryx?

About the size of a partridge, with a skull only 45 millimeters long.1

?Did Gobipteryx have teeth?

No, Gobipteryx had a toothless beak, which is rare for a bird from the time of dinosaurs.1

?Could Gobipteryx fly?

Yes, scientists believe Gobipteryx could fly. Its long scapula and forelimbs were well suited for flight, and it could probably fly right after hatching.1

?When did Gobipteryx live?

Gobipteryx lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 75 to 71 million years ago.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Gobipteryx
Named by: Elzanowski 19743
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Enantiornithes3
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae3
Age of the rocks: 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: Baruungoyot, Djadokhta, Nemegt3
Countries: Mongolia3
Fossil records: 8 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Gobipteryx was named by Andrzej Elzanowski in 1974, based on a skull found in the Gobi Desert by Dr. Teresa Maryańska during a 1971 expedition.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly how Gobipteryx is related to other ancient birds, because its skull is unusual.1

Where the facts come from

Gobipteryx (en.wikipedia.org)
PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE PALAEOGNATHOUS BIRD FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF MONGOLIA (palaeontologia.pan.pl)
Gobipteryx in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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