Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
379 / Cenozoic
Eomortoniellus
Eomortoniellus handlirschi
Tiny ear canals in the forelegs show that it heard ultrasonic calls.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 44 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Eocene
- Geographic range
- Humid forest · Baltic region
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Eomortoniellus?
Eomortoniellus (Eomortoniellus handlirschi) was an extinct organism known from About 44 million years ago, with a range in Humid forest · Baltic region.
Life and ecology
This small katydid probably used high-frequency courtship song while evading early bats.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Eomortoniellus disappear?
Changes in forests and in predators that hunt by sound are possible context; a single amber specimen cannot show why the species disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Eomortoniellus?
Amber and micro-CT preserve the wings, stridulatory apparatus and internal ear canals.
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