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Rahonavis ostromi

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Description

Class: Reptilia

Superorder: Dinosauria

Order: Saurischia

Suborder: Theropoda

Family: Dromaeosauridae

Genus: Rahonavis Forster et al., 1998b

Species: R. ostromi (Forster et al., 1998a [originally Rahona]) (type)

Rahonavis is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, 70–65 mya) of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton (UA 8656) found in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province.
Rahonavis has historically been the subject of some uncertainty as to its proper taxonomic position - whether it is a member of the clade Aves or a closely-related dromaeosaurid. The presence of quill knobs on its ulna (forearm bone) led initially to its inclusion among the birds; however, the rest of the skeleton is rather typically dromaeosaurid in its attributes. Given the extremely close affinities between primitive birds and their dromaeosaurid cousins, along with the possibility that flight may have developed and been lost multiple times among these groups, it has been difficult to place Rahonavis firmly among or outside the birds. Rahonavis could be a close relative to Archaeopteryx, as originally suggested by the describers, and thus a member of the clade Aves, but while the pelvis shows adaptations to flight similar in function to those of Archaeopteryx, they seem to be independently derived.

gouache on canvas, 40x60 cm, 2009.
Image size
1600x2263px 1.17 MB
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