hesperornis

[hes-puh-rawr-nis]

noun

1. a toothed aquatic bird of the extinct genus Hesperornis, fossils of which are found in rocks of Cretaceous age in Kansas, having the rear legs modified for swimming and reaching a length of more than 4 feet (1.2 meters).

Word History and Origins

Origin of hesperornis¹

< New Latin (1872) < Greek Hésper ( os ) Hesperus + órnis bird

Example Sentences

Fossils like those of Ichthyornis and Cretaceous toothed diving bird Hesperornis were cited by 19th century naturalist Charles Darwin as strong support for his theory of evolution.

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A Bird with Teeth “It has been shown, beyond all manner of doubt, that Hesperornis was an immense cretaceous diver or loon. In the United States National Museum there is a mounted restoration of the skeleton and its parts, which shows very correctly the swimming posture. The fossils were obtained back in 1870 near Smoky Hill River in western Kansas.”

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Hesperornis, hes-per-ōr′nis, n. an extinct form of bird, the remains of which have been met with in the American cretaceous deposits.

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It was over twenty feet across his wings, from tip to tip; and, like the Hesperornis, he always had fish for dinner.

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They've named him the "Hesperornis," which means "western bird."

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