Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
462 / Cenozoic
Anthropornis
Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi
At almost 1.8 meters, it was a giant diver on a warmer Antarctic coast.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 45–33 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Oligocene
- Geographic range
- Nearshore Antarctic waters
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Anthropornis?
Anthropornis (Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi) was an extinct organism known from About 45–33 million years ago, with a range in Nearshore Antarctic waters.
Life and ecology
It chased fish and cephalopods with flipper-like wings.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Anthropornis disappear?
End-Eocene cooling and changing food webs are possible context for its disappearance; a specific cause is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Anthropornis?
Wing and leg bones constrain size; head and plumage follow giant-penguin relatives.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS