Janavis
Janavis was a toothed bird that lived right at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. It was one of the last birds with teeth, and its skull could move like a modern bird's skull.1
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Fun facts
Janavis lived about 66.8 million years ago, just 800,000 years before the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.1
Its wing bones were hollow and filled with air, like modern birds, making it lighter for flying.1
The fossil was found in a Belgian quarry in 2000 by an amateur fossil hunter named Rudi Dortangs.1
Janavis had a skull that could move its upper jaw up and down, a feature of modern birds called neognathous palate.1
Scientists first thought a piece of its skull was a wing bone, until a CT scan in 2021 showed the truth.1
Janavis was bigger than its relative Ichthyornis, with a wingspan of about 1.5 metres (5 feet).1
Most asked questions about Janavis
?How big was Janavis?
Janavis was a relatively large bird, with an estimated wingspan of about 1.5 metres (5 feet) and a weight of around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds).12
?Did Janavis have teeth?
Yes, Janavis had teeth. It was one of the last toothed birds to ever live.12
?When did Janavis live?
Janavis lived about 66.8 million years ago, right at the end of the Cretaceous period, just 800,000 years before the asteroid impact.1
?Could Janavis fly?
Yes, Janavis could fly. Its wing bones were hollow and filled with air, like modern birds, making it lighter for flying.1
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Myth buster
Myth: All ancient birds had rigid skulls like dinosaurs.
Truth: Janavis had a flexible skull like modern chickens and ducks, showing that movable skulls evolved early.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Janavis
- Named by
- Benito et al. 20223
- Group
- Early birds
- Family / clade
- Ichthyornithes3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Avialae3
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Maastricht3
- Countries
- Belgium3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The fossil was collected in 2000 by amateur palaeontologist Rudi Dortangs in Belgium. It was first reported in 2002, and in 2022 scientists named it Janavis finalidens after CT scans revealed its true identity.1
- Still debated
- Scientists debate whether Janavis could fly as well as modern birds, because its wing bones were very air-filled but its shoulder blade lacked a normal hook.1
Where the facts come from
- Janavis (en.wikipedia.org)
- Bird beak evolved before dinosaur extinction | University of Cambridge (cam.ac.uk)
- Janavis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Archaeopteryx
Hesperornis
Ichthyornis
Baptornis
Jurapteryx
Gobipteryx
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Velociraptor
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus