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Gargantuavids
Topic Started: Feb 4 2011, 04:02 PM (577 Views)
Carlos
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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At this point, even people who do not care much about the Mesozoic's avian taxa have at some point read about Gargantuavis philoinos, a flightless, ostrich sized bid from late Cretaceous Europe. Because of the fragmentary nature of its remains, its exact relations are not well understood, but seems to be an ornithuromorph; some have suggested a close placement with the much older Patagopteryx, although it could actually be a much more advanced species, to the point that Tim Morris seems confident that it could have been an anseriforme.

I think gargantuavids make the perfect "alternate ostrich". If they survived the KT-event, they could go on their way to prevent ostrich or even gastornithid evolution, occupying the niches of those birds. Or they could co-exist, with ostriches being small, bustard like birds, gargantuavids as elephant bird/moa analogues and gastornithids as predators/omnivores as they were in real life.

I am personally including them in Terra Alternativa, as ostrich (and possibly elephant bird) replacements.
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Cephylus
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I think I'll include them, as Dromornis or Gastornis like herbivore/omnivores.
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Scrublord
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Are they in Spec?
My Projects:
The Neozoic Redux
Valhalla--Take Three!
The Big One



Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com

In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado.
--Heteromorph
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Carlos
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So far no, although it was suggested they could be.

It is a very complicated subject since we still have avimimid oviraptors running around, occupying ratite niches in the Old World
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Scrublord
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Maybe they could survive on some island.
My Projects:
The Neozoic Redux
Valhalla--Take Three!
The Big One



Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com

In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado.
--Heteromorph
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