Fortipesavis
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| Fortipesavis Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), ~ | |
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| Holotype of Fortipesavis prehendens in amber (A, B) and micro-CT rendering (C, D) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Genus: | †Fortipesavis Clark & O'Connor, 2021 |
| Species: | †F. prehendens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Fortipesavis prehendens Clark & O'Connor, 2021 | |
Fortipesavis (lit. 'strong-footed bird') is an extinct genus of enantiornithean bird from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian age) of Myanmar. The genus contains a single species, Fortipesavis prehendens, known from a partial left foot preserved in amber. The outermost toe of Fortipesavis is unusually robust, and likely gave the animal greater stability and grip when perching.
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The Fortipesavis fossil material was collected from an amber mine in Kachin State (Angbamo site), Myanmar. The specimen consists of a partial left foot with many associated feathers, preserved in a small piece of amber weighing 2.68 grams (0.095 oz) and measuring 25.6 mm × 18.2 mm × 9.2 mm (1.01 in × 0.72 in × 0.36 in). It is housed in the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, where it is permanently accessioned as specimen YLSNHM01001. In addition to the partially-preserved sparse feathers on the foot, two large pennaceous feathers are also preserved in the amber nearby. The preserved foot does not include any bone; instead, it preserves only a skin outline, allowing the shape of the bones to be deduced. This external mold comprises digits II, III, and IV, in addition to the end of the tarsometatarsus. The keratinous sheath of the ungual (claw) of digit II is preserved, but none of the other unguals are observable. Prominent decay bubbles emanate from the foot's surface, resulting in a 'warty' appearance, although these are not genuine features of the animal's integument.[1][2]
In 2019, Lida Xing and colleagues published a description of YLSNHM01001, discussing its preservation and unusual morphology. Based on the foot and feather anatomy, the authors identified the specimen as belonging to an enantiornithean bird. While they noted that the proportions of its toes are unlike those of any other Mesozoic bird, the authors refrained from naming the specimen as a new taxon.[1] In 2021, Alexander D. Clark and Jingmai O'Connor described Fortipesavis prehendens as a new genus and species based on YLSNHM01001, establishing this specimen as the holotype. The generic name, Fortipesavis, combines the Latin compound fortipes, meaning 'strong-footed', with the Latin avis, meaning 'bird'. The specific name, prehendens, is derived from a Latin word meaning 'to grip' or 'to grasp'. The intended meaning of the full binomial name is 'griping strong-footed bird', alluding to the likely friction-increasing function of the enlarged outermost toe.[2]
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