Magnificent Mihirungs

by Murray, Peter F.; Vickers-Rich, Patricia

• ISBN13: 9780253342829
• ISBN10: 0253342821
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

Over millions of years, Australia's unique biodiversity has produced a large cabinet of curiosities. Among the weirder members of this group were the Mihirungs, members of the now extinct family Dromornithidae. Made up of several genera of flightless birds-among them one of the very largest birds that ever lived-the dromornithids ranged from 60-kilogram beasts, 1.5 meters tall, to giants twice that size, weighing nearly half a metric ton. They were, by orders of magnitude, the largest "geese" that ever lived. One species was comparable in size to the Elephantbird of Madagascar and the Giant Moa of New Zealand. This book is the first major study of this unique and highly diverse group. It aims to present as complete a synthesis as possible of current information about this fascinating family of birds.Peter F. Murray is a researcher at the Museum of Central Australia in Alice Springs.Patricia Vickers-Rich holds a Chair in Palaeontology at Monash University, where she lectures in the Earth Sciences Department. She is co-author (with Thomas H. Rich) of Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (IUP, 2000) and Dinosaurs of Darkness (IUP, 2000).

Author Biography

Peter F. Murray is a researcher at the Museum of Central Australia in Alice Springs.

Patricia Vickers-Rich holds a Chair in Palaeontology at Monash University, where she lectures in the Earth Sciences Department. She is co-author (with Thomas H. Rich) of Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (IUP, 2000) and Dinosaurs of Darkness (IUP, 2000).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(4)
PART ONE: Discovery	5	(24)
1 The Discovery of the Dromornithids	7	(22)
PART TWO: Systematics and Morphology	29	(152)
2 Mihirungs: Extinct Gigantic Australian Geese	31	(3)
3 Classification	34	(2)
4 Overview of Dromornithid Species, Localities, and Associated Fauna	36	(21)
5 Description of Dromornithid Structure	57	(92)
6 Relationships and Phylogeny	149	(14)
7 Dromornithids and the Origin of Anseriform Birds	163	(7)
8 Relationships within the Dromornithidae	170	(11)
PART THREE: Paleobiology	181
9 Appearance, Posture, and Stature	183	(10)
10 Body Mass Estimations	193	(20)
11 Could Dromornithids Run?	213	(19)
12 The Feeding Apparatus	232	(36)
13 Economy of Scale	268