How does the supercontinent Gondwanaland relate to evolution of ratites?
How does the supercontinent Gondwanaland relate to evolution of ratites?
As Gondwana broke up, the resident ratites could just have rafted along and evolved into the different clades on the different continents. But once it became possible to retrieve DNA from long dead organisms, these extinct ratites could be placed in the evolutionary tree, leading to major upsets.
Where do ratites come from?
Ratites are native to most of the continents and a few large islands of the southern hemisphere (ostriches in Africa, rheas in South America, emus in Australia, cassowaries in Australia and New Guinea, kiwis in New Zealand; see Chapter 17).
Why did ratites go extinct?
Cracraft proposed that the answer was continental drift. Two hundred million years ago, the southern landmasses were all part of a single giant continent, known as Gondwana. Over millions of years, Gondwana broke into pieces that drifted apart. Those pieces carried away the flightless ratites that lived on them.
Are ratites extinct?
Ratites are a paraphyletic group; tinamous fall within them, and are the sister group of the extinct moa….Ratite.
| Ratites Temporal range: Paleocene–Holocene Possible Late Cretaceous record | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae Pycraft, 1900 |
What are the features peculiar to ratite birds give 2 examples of ratite birds?
There are some peculiar features to ratite birds. Ratite birds are unable to fly….Answer:
- Their breast bones are smooths (raft-like)
- Their flight muscles cannot be anchored.
- These are large birds of all time like Moa and Elephant birds belong to this group.
- Examples of some ratite birds are Ostrich, Kiwi, Emu.
What kind of creatures are ratites?
Twelve species of birds are grouped as ratites, not including the order Tinamiformes. These species include the ostrich, emu, rhea, cassowary, and kiwi. The ostrich, emu, and rhea are the ratite species primarily raised in production facilities, whereas all ratite species may be found in zoo collections.
Who called ratites?
All species of ratites are thus unable to fly. They are a peculiar and puzzling group, with anatomic anomalies. The group includes some of the largest birds of all time, such as the moa and the elephant bird (Aepyornis). Extant ratites include the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, and kiwi.
Which order of ratites are the largest?
The South American rhea has been produced primarily for feathers. Ostriches (Struthio camelus) are the largest members of the ratite group. Mature ostriches may stand 2.4–2.8 m tall and weigh up to 160 kg, although most are 65–130 kg.
Why do ratites have a flat breastbone?
Since Darwin’s era, people have wondered: How are they related? Ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwis can’t fly. Unlike most birds, their flat breastbones lack the keel that anchors the strong pectoral muscles required for flight. Their puny wings can’t possibly lift their heavy bodies off the ground.
Is a penguin a ratite?
Most living forms belong to the order Struthioniformes (a group that includes the ostrich, the rhea, the cassowary, the kiwi, and the emu); however, they are more commonly known as ratites. Also flightless, but unrelated to the ratites, are penguins (order Sphenisciformes).
Is Penguin a ratite?
What kind of birds are called ratites?
noun. Any of the mostly large, flightless birds with a ratite breastbone, i.e. the ostrich, rhea, emu, cassowary, and kiwi, together with the extinct moa and elephant bird.
When was the Gondwana supercontinent formed?
Gondwana, ancient supercontinent that incorporated present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. It was fully assembled by Late Precambrian time, some 600 million years ago, and the first stage of its breakup began in the Early Jurassic Period, about 180
Are ratites Gondwanan vicariance?
Such vicariance is by no means an uncommon biogeographical pattern; it explains the distribution of many groups of plants and animals, and in fact ratites became somewhat of a poster child for Gondwanan vicariance 2, 3. Unfortunately, however, this rafting story just does not seem hold for the ratites.
What is the name of the ancient supercontinent?
Gondwana. Gondwana, also called Gondwanaland, ancient supercontinent that incorporated present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. It was fully assembled by Late Precambrian time, some 600 million years ago, and the first stage of its breakup began in the Early Jurassic Period,…
What is included in the paleogeographic reconstruction of Gondwana?
Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are cold and warm ocean currents. According to plate tectonic evidence, Gondwana was assembled by continental collisions in the Late Precambrian (about 1 billion to 542 million years ago).
