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Parahesperornis

Say it: PAIR-uh-hes-per-OR-nis

Name means: “near Hesperornis”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsLate Cretaceous

Parahesperornis was a flightless bird that lived in the sea. It swam like a penguin and had teeth in its beak. It lived during the time of dinosaurs, about 85 to 82 million years ago.1 4

Lived

90 to 84 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Kansas, USA4 1

Food

Meat4 1

Length

0.6 to 0.9 m2

estimated from skeleton size

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 2 house cats nose to tailas long as 5 bananas end to end

How big was Parahesperornis compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Parahesperornis could not fly. Its wings were tiny and useless for flying, but its legs were strong for swimming.1 2

It had sharp teeth in its beak, which is unusual for modern birds. These teeth helped it grab slippery fish.1 2

Parahesperornis is known from two nearly complete skeletons, which is rare for ancient birds. Most are found as just a few bones.2

It lived in the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea that covered central North America during the Cretaceous.1

The first fossil of Parahesperornis was found in 1894, but it was not named until 1984 by scientist L. D. Martin.2 4

Parahesperornis was about the size of a modern loon or a small penguin, around 60 to 90 centimeters long.2

AI-made picture of Parahesperornis — An AI-made picture of how Parahesperornis 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 Parahesperornis

?Was Parahesperornis a dinosaur?

Yes, it was a type of prehistoric bird. While birds are descendants of dinosaurs, scientists classify Parahesperornis as an avialan bird rather than a dinosaur.1

?How big was Parahesperornis?

It was about 60 to 90 centimetres (2 to 3 feet) long, roughly the size of a modern loon or a small penguin.1

?Did Parahesperornis have teeth?

Yes, it had sharp teeth in its beak, which helped it grab slippery fish.2

?Could Parahesperornis swim?

Yes, it was a foot-propelled diving bird that swam like a penguin, using its strong legs to chase fish underwater.3

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Parahesperornis was a dinosaur.

Truth: Parahesperornis was a bird, not a dinosaur. Birds evolved from dinosaurs, but Parahesperornis is classified as an avialan, which is a group that includes modern birds and their extinct relatives.1 4

For dino experts

Scientific name: Parahesperornis
Named by: Martin 19844
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Hesperornithidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae4
Age of the rocks: 90 to 84 million years (Coniacian / Santonian)4
Rock formations: Niobrara4
Countries: USA4
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: The first fossil of Parahesperornis alexi was found in 1894 by H. T. Martin in Graham County, Kansas. It was later named by L. D. Martin in 1984.2 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if some fossils from Mongolia belong to Parahesperornis or a different, similar bird.1

Where the facts come from

Parahesperornis (en.wikipedia.org)
Anatomy of Parahesperornis: Evolutionary Mosaicism in the Cretaceous Hesperornithiformes (Aves) (mdpi.com)
Anatomy of Parahesperornis: Evolutionary Mosaicism in the Cretaceous Hesperornithiformes (Aves) (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Parahesperornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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