Mullerornis

The genus is named after Georges Muller, a French explorer, who was killed in 1892 by hostile members of the Sakalava people.

• Mullerornis betsilei Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7RIAkGw0-UC&pg=PA26 | author1=Julian P. Hume| author2=Michael Walters| title=Extinct birds | publisher=T&AD Poyser| pages=544 | isbn=978-1408158616|year=2012}} (Betsileo elephant bird)
• Mullerornis agilis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894 (agile/coastal elephant bird)
• Mullerornis rudis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894 (robust elephant bird)
• ?Mullerornis grandis Lamberton 1934 (holotype destroyed in a fire in 1995)

File:Mullerornis modestus pareja.jpg

Mullerornis is smaller than the more well-known Aepyornis,Burney, et al. (1997), p. 763MacPhee, et al. (1985), table II with a still substantial body mass of approximately {{Convert|80|kg|lb}}.{{Cite journal |last1=Grealy |first1=Alicia |last2=Miller |first2=Gifford H. |last3=Phillips |first3=Matthew J. |last4=Clarke |first4=Simon J. |last5=Fogel |first5=Marilyn |last6=Patalwala |first6=Diana |last7=Rigby |first7=Paul |last8=Hubbard |first8=Alysia |last9=Demarchi |first9=Beatrice |last10=Collins |first10=Matthew |last11=Mackie |first11=Meaghan |last12=Sakalauskaite |first12=Jorune |last13=Stiller |first13=Josefin |last14=Clarke |first14=Julia A. |last15=Legendre |first15=Lucas J. |date=2023-02-28 |title=Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=914 |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-36405-3 |issn=2041-1723|doi-access=free |pmid=36854679 |pmc=9974994 |bibcode=2023NatCo..14..914G }} A bone possibly belonging to Mullerornis has been radiocarbon dated to about 1260 BP,Burney, et al. (2004), p. 50 suggesting that the animal was still extant at the end of the first millennium.Burney et al. (2004), p. 25 Aepyornis modestus was shown by Hansford and Turvey (2018) to be a senior synonym of all nominal Mullerornis species described by Milne-Edwards and Grandidier (1894), resulting in the new combination Mullerornis modestus.Hansford, J. P.; Turvey, S. T. (2018-09-26). "Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (9): 181295. doi:10.1098/rsos.181295.

Like other elephant birds and its kiwi relatives, Mullerornis probably was nocturnal based on the small size of its optic lobes, though it shows less optical lobe reduction than these other taxa, implying slightly more crepuscular habits.Christopher R. Torres & Julia A. Clarke. 2018. Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions. Proc. R. Soc. B 285 (1890); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1540

Isotopic evidence suggests that Mullerornis was likely a browsing herbivore.{{Cite journal |last1=Hansford |first1=James P. |last2=Turvey |first2=Samuel T. |date=April 2022 |title=Dietary isotopes of Madagascar's extinct megafauna reveal Holocene browsing and grazing guilds |journal=Biology Letters |language=en |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=20220094 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2022.0094 |issn=1744-957X |pmc=9006009 |pmid=35414222}}

The eggs of Mullerornis are substantially smaller than those of Aepyornis, weighting approximately {{Convert|0.86|kg|lb}}, with a shell thickness of about {{Convert|1.1|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=64}}.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last1=Burney|first1=David A. | last2=James|first2=Helen F.|last3=Grady|first3=Frederick V. | last4=Rafamantanantsoa|first4=Jean-Gervais|last5=Ramilisonina| last6=Wright|first6=Henry T.| last7=Cowart|first7=James B. |year=1997 |title=Environmental change, extinction and human activity: Evidence from caves in NW Madagascar |journal= Journal of Biogeography|volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=755–767 |doi= 10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00146.x|bibcode=1997JBiog..24..755B |hdl=2027.42/75139 |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75139/1/j.1365-2699.1997.00146.x.pdf|hdl-access=free}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Burney|first1=David A. | last2=Burney|first2=Lida Pigott|last3=Godfrey|first3=Laurie R. | last4=Jungers|first4=William L.|last5=Goodman|first5=Steven M. | last6=Wright|first6=Henry T. |last7=Jull|first7=A. J. Timothy|year=2004 |title=A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=47 |issue=1–2 |pages=25–63 |pmid= 15288523|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.05.005 |bibcode=2004JHumE..47...25B }}
• {{cite encyclopedia |last=Davies |first=S. J. J. F.|editor=Hutchins, Michael |encyclopedia=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |title=Elephant birds |edition=2 |year=2003 |publisher=Gale Group |volume=8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins |location=Farmington Hills, MI|isbn=0-7876-5784-0 |pages=103–104}}
• {{cite journal |last1=MacPhee|first1=R. D. E. | last2=Burney|first2=David A.|last3=Wells|first3=N. A. |year=1985 |title=Early Holocene chronology and environment of Ampasambazimba, a Malagasy subfossil lemur site |journal=International Journal of Primatology |volume=6 |issue=5 |pages=463–489 |doi=10.1007/BF02735571 |s2cid=44449535 }}

{{Palaeognathae|N.}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3504307}}

Category:Elephant birds

Category:Holocene extinctions

Category:Fossil taxa described in 1894