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Pelagornis

A large bird endowed with a surprising "toothed beak". In fact, the "teeth" of Pelagornis (and of the other Pelagornithidae) do not have dentine nor are attached in dental alveoli, and so are not true teeth, but bony projections from the beak itself.

In addition to the "pseudoteeth", another striking feature are the long wings, similar to those of seabirds that soar through long distances, like the albatross. Such similarity is pure convergence generated by a similar lifestyle, since Pelagornis is not related to seabirds; the classification of Pelagornithidae had different attempts since its discovery, and new analyzes continue trying to unravel its position among the birds.

There are several named species of Pelagornis, and the model depicts P. chilensis, from the Miocene of Chile. The skeleton of this species was over 4,5m in wingspan, but once with the feathers the wings would spread to over 5m.

Cold porcelain, scale 1:10.

Pelagornis