The earliest recorded fossil pelican, recovered from the late Eocene of Wadi Al-Hitan, Egypt
2021/01/02 by Joseph J. El Adli, Jeffrey A. Wilson Mantilla, Mohammed Sameh M. Antar +1 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.1903910
openalex publication_date 2021/01/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/19
Abstract
The Paleogene record of pelicans (Pelecanidae) is represented at present by a single early Oligocene specimen from southeastern France. Here we describe a new pelecanid from the early Priabonian portion of the Birket Qarun Formation within the Wadi Al-Hitan World Heritage Site in Egypt. This specimen, a nearly complete right tibiotarsus, is the first definitive pelecanid recovered from Eocene strata. The tibiotarsus is remarkably similar to those of known Pelecanus species, but sufficiently different to warrant designation as the new genus and species Eopelecanus aegyptiacus. This represents the oldest pelican described to date and extends the pelecanid fossil record by ca. 6 million years.
Citations
- A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing
- Beyond phylogeny: pelecaniform and ciconiiform birds, and long-term niche stability
- The earliest known pelican reveals 30 million years of evolutionary stasis in beak morphology
- Review and revision of Cenozoic tropical planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and calibration to the geomagnetic polarity and astronomical time scale
- The phylogenetic relationships of the extant pelicans inferred from DNA sequence data
- Osteological evidence for sister group relationship between pseudo-toothed birds (Aves: Odontopterygiformes) and waterfowls (Anseriformes)
- A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History
- The Paleogene fossil record of birds in Europe
- Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils
- Aegicetus gehennae, a new late Eocene protocetid (Cetacea, Archaeoceti) from Wadi Al Hitan, Egypt, and the transition to tail-powered swimming in whales
- Caroli Linnaei...Systema naturae per regna tria naturae :secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis
Cited by
Related