Garganoaetus

Garganoaetus
Temporal range: Early Pliocene
G. freudenthali feeding on a Mikrotia sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Subfamily: Buteoninae
Genus: †Garganoaetus
Ballmann, 1973
Species

†Garganoaetus freudenthali
†Garganoaetus murivorus

Garganoaetus is an extinct genus of buteonin accipitrid bird of prey from the early Pliocene in Italy. G. freudenthali was comparable in size to a golden eagle and was likely an apex predator;[citation needed] G. murivorus was hawk sized. Species of Garganoaetus would have lived alongside other Gargano island animals that it likely preyed on, such as large dormice Stertomys and Hattomys hamsters, the giant, long-skulled Deinogalerix moonrats, an otter, Prolagus pikas, and the multi-horned artiodactyl Hoplitomeryx.

References

  1. ↑ Meijer, Hanneke (25 January 2017). "Sun, sea and dwarf hippos: the Mediterranean is a surprising palaeontological paradise". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 Naish, Darren (28 January 2008). "Titan-hawks and other super-raptors". ScienceBlogs. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Acta zoologica cracoviensia. Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences. 1997. p. 307.