Gargantuavis

Gargantuavis Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
The type specimen, a partial pelvis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Genus:	†Gargantuavis Buffetaut & Le Loeuff, 1998
Species:	†G. philoinos
Binomial name
Gargantuavis philoinos Buffetaut & Le Loeuff, 1998

Gargantuavis is a genus of extinct avialan stem-birds containing the single species Gargantuavis philoinos.G. philoinos lived during the late Cretaceous period in what is now southern France. Its fossils were discovered in the Marnes Rouges Inferieures Formation, which has been dated to roughly 70 million years old. A large avialan, Gargantuavis was flightless, occupying an ecological niche somewhat similar to that of modern ratites or more primitive theropods. It is possible that some of the fossil eggs found in the region, usually attributed to non-avialan dinosaurs, actually belong to this bird.

The first Gargantuavis fossil was found in 1995 in Var, France. This first specimen, a partial set of pelvic vertebrae (synsacrum), was uncovered near the village of Fox-Amphoux in a paleontological excavation. Several other specimens were later found further west, in the villages of Villespassans, Cruzy, and Campagne-sur-Aude, providing enough fossil material to describe and name the species in 1998. The species name G. philoinos, meaning "wine lover", was chosen because several of these first Gargantuavis bones were found in and around vineyards and wineries. The Genus name refers to Gargantua, the giant main character of a 16th century French novel by Francois Rabelais.

Though Gargantuavis is only known from a few isolated fossil bones, some information about its life appearance and ecology have been inferred by studying their details. Gargantuavis is known from several specimens representing a few limited parts of the skeleton: synsacra (the fused vertebrae above the hip), illia (hip bones), and at least one partial femur (upper leg bone), which was referred to the species based on the fact that it seems to fit well with the hip. A neck vertebra has also been referred to Gargantuavis.