Apsaravis

apsara bird

• Apsara · Sanskrit · celestial nymph or spirit of Hindu and Buddhist mythology
• avis · Latin · bird

The name combines "apsara", a celestial nymph from Hindu and Buddhist mythology, with the Latin "avis", meaning bird. It was given to a small, early ornithuromorph bird from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The type species is Apsaravis ukhaana, whose species name refers to Ukhaa Tolgod, the fossil locality.

Named by

Norell and Clarke

Year named

2001

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

Djadochta Formation, Ukhaa Tolgod, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

A Mesozoic bird (an ornithuromorph close to the line leading to modern birds). Birds are avian dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the modern phylogenetic sense. Its well-preserved skeleton helped clarify how the early evolution of the avian wing and shoulder proceeded.