Odontopteryx is an extinct genus of pseudotoothed birds within the order Odontopterygiformes. It lived during the Late Paleocene to Late Eocene, and is placed in Pelagornithidae. The type species is Odontopteryx toplica, and it is from the London Clay of Isle of Sheppey. It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1873.
Description[]
O. toplica was one of the smallest pseudotoothed birds known to date, however, it still possessed immense size, and its head was 20-25cm (8-10in) long. Unlike other Pelagornithids, its tooth were slanted towards to accommodate its piscivorous lifestyle. Unlike other pelarognithids, its fossils are decently preserved. Its fossils consisted of a muscle attachment site of a humerus, tarsometatarsus and quadrate bone. It lacks a deep fossa of the hallux and the middle toe is expanded toward. Also, the salt glands in its eyes are less developed than Pelagornis. Plus, It resembled Dasornis by having a jugal arch and paroccipital process being elongated back and downwards. However, due to the lack of better preserved fossils, a close relationship between Dasornis and Odontopteryx cannot be determined.
Species[]
There are several species for Odontopteryx, including the type species Odontopteryx toplica, and synonyms such as Odontornis and Neptuniavis minor.
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