| Novacaesareala Temporal range: Latest Cretaceous to Early Pliocene | |
|---|---|
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| Reconstruction of Novacaesareala by Jack Wood | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Genus: | †Novacaesareala Parris & Hope, 2002 |
| Type species | |
| †N. hungerfordii Parris & Hope, 2002 | |
Novacaesareala (meaning from New Jersey) is an extinct genus of avian bird from Late Cretaceous New Jersey, USA. The type and only species is N. hungerfordi.
Description[]
Novacaesareala is a large bird, likely a member of Procellariiformes. It is also a relative of Torotix, and therefore an early representative of the group containing pelicans, frigate birds, and cormorants. However, in 2016, it is thought that Novacaesareala may actually be in the order Phaethontiformes, this making it a tropicbird. The wing structure of Novacaesareala resembles that of Zhylgaia, thus showing a possible connection. Although there isn't much information, one thing that is true is that Novacaesareala is larger than any living tropicbird,
Paleoecology[]
Due to likely being a seabird, Novacaesareala probably behaved similarly to possible albatross relatives, soaring over vast stretches of ocean.