ELEKTORORNIS CHENGUANGI

July 14, 2019

Elektorornis chenguangi – an extinct bird with an extra long toe – has been described in a study published in the journal Current Biology.

About: 

  • In 2014 the fossil of Elektorornis chenguangi – a small bird which lived 99 million years ago, with a weird elongated toe – were discovered in Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley. 

  • The preserved toe measures less than half an inch from knuckle to claw-tip, making it 41% longer than the next longest digit on the creature’s foot. 

  • Its elongated toe structure has never been observed in other birds, living or extinct.

  • Elektorornis chenguangi may have used the long, sensitive digit to probe cracks in trees for insects and grubs.

Source : The Hindu