Nanantius

dwarf opposite (bird)

• nanos · Greek · dwarf
• antios · Greek · opposite

Nanantius is a name for an early bird from Australia. It is thought to combine Greek roots for "dwarf" and "opposite". The "opposite" part is a nod to the enantiornithines, the "opposite birds", the group it probably belongs to. The type species, N. eos, uses the Greek word for "dawn".

Named by

Molnar

Year named

1986

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Albian

Found in

Toolebuc Formation, Queensland, Australia

Known from very fragmentary remains. It is usually treated as an enantiornithine bird, so it is a dinosaur only in the sense that birds are avian dinosaurs. Its etymology and exact validity should be checked against the original description. Its remains are scrappy, and its status is sometimes questioned.