Re: Ichthyornithidae

[KiernanCR@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/15/02 7:36:48 PM, mike@oceansofkansas.com writes:

<< especially when you consider that the chalk was deposited over two
hundred miles from the nearest shore. >>

The situation is a little better here in the Mooreville Chalk of Alabama, 
where the shoreline was considerably closer than in the Niobrara. However, 
while our material (most of which is currently assigned to cf. _Ichthyornis_ 
spp.) is usually uncrushed and perhaps more common,  it almost always 
consists of only a single bone.

Recently, I've recovered a bird bone from the younger Bluffport Marl Member 
of the Demopolis Chalk (Early Maastrichtian), but have yet to determine if 
it's ichthyornithid.

Caitlin R. Kiernan