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Patagopteryx

Say it: PAT-ah-gop-ter-ix

Name means: “Patagonian wing”1

Ate: A bit of everythingEarly birdsLate Cretaceous

Patagopteryx was a chicken-sized bird that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous. It could not fly, even though its ancestors could! It is the oldest known bird that lost the ability to fly.1

Lived

86 to 84 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Sierra Barrosa, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina1

Food

A bit of everything1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Patagopteryx had no wishbone (furcula), so it could not have the muscles needed for flying.1

Its legs had very short thigh bones (femurs), which is a sign it was a fast runner.1

The feet of Patagopteryx had fused bones, just like modern birds.1

It lived about 85 to 83 million years ago, during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.2

Patagopteryx probably traveled in flocks across the plains of South America.1

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

?What did Patagopteryx eat?

It was omnivorous, meaning it ate both plants and meat.1

?Why couldn't Patagopteryx fly?

It had no wishbone (furcula), so it could not have the muscles needed for flying.1

?How big was Patagopteryx?

About the size of a chicken.1

?Did Patagopteryx live in flocks?

Yes, it probably traveled in flocks across the plains of South America.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Patagopteryx
Named by: Alvarenga and Bonaparte 19923
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Ornithuromorpha3
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae3
Age of the rocks: 86 to 84 million years (Santonian)3
Rock formations: Bajo de la Carpa3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Oscar de Ferrariis found the first fossils around 1984 to 1985 in Argentina. He gave them to paleontologist José Bonaparte, who named the species Patagopteryx deferrariisi in 1992.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Patagopteryx is the earliest flightless bird, because some earlier dinosaurs may also have lost the ability to fly.1

Where the facts come from

Patagopteryx (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Patagopteryx in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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