Aramus paludigrus
Encyclopedia
Aramus paludigrus is an extinct species of limpkin
, semi-aquatic birds related to cranes
(order Gruiformes
), which are similar. Aramus paludigrus was found in the famous fossil site of La Venta
, dating from the mid-Miocene
period, in central Colombia
. This bird was described in 1997 based on a nearly complete tibiotarsus
bone, very similar to its modern relative, the limpkin Aramus garaudana, although this element measured about 196 millimetres (7.7 in) long, which implies a 20% larger size. It also differs from the modern species in which this bone has larger lateral condyles, the axis of the bone is longer and narrower, very similar to that found in modern trumpeters (Psophia). The general structure of this animal should not very different from the modern limpkins, being a rather sedentary bird (no remains are known from other parts of South America
), and what is known of the strata in which he found, had to wade through swamps in search of snail
s, insect
s and bivalves
to feed on them, that led to their scientific name, as in Greek
paludigrus can be translated as "marsh crane."
Limpkin
The Limpkin , Aramus guarauna, is a bird that looks like a large rail but is skeletally closer to cranes. It is the only extant species in the genus Aramus and the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina...
, semi-aquatic birds related to cranes
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
(order Gruiformes
Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
), which are similar. Aramus paludigrus was found in the famous fossil site of La Venta
La Venta (Colombia)
La Venta is a settlement between the modern Tolima Department and Huila Department, Colombia. Nearby, one of the richest Neogene fossil assemblages in the whole of South America is known...
, dating from the mid-Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
period, in central Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. This bird was described in 1997 based on a nearly complete tibiotarsus
Tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae...
bone, very similar to its modern relative, the limpkin Aramus garaudana, although this element measured about 196 millimetres (7.7 in) long, which implies a 20% larger size. It also differs from the modern species in which this bone has larger lateral condyles, the axis of the bone is longer and narrower, very similar to that found in modern trumpeters (Psophia). The general structure of this animal should not very different from the modern limpkins, being a rather sedentary bird (no remains are known from other parts of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
), and what is known of the strata in which he found, had to wade through swamps in search of snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and bivalves
Bivalvia
Bivalvia is a taxonomic class of marine and freshwater molluscs. This class includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, and many other families of molluscs that have two hinged shells...
to feed on them, that led to their scientific name, as in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
paludigrus can be translated as "marsh crane."