Gargantuavis fossil map
Where fossils of Gargantuavis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 75 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 75 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 83.6–66 million years ago (Campanian to Maastrichtian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Gargantuaviidae |
| Named by | Buffetaut and Le Loeuff 1998 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, Spain |
| Rock formations | Marnes Rouges Inférieures, txn:436544, Grès à Reptiles, Vitoria |
About Gargantuavis
Gargantuavis (meaning 'gargantuan bird') is an extinct genus of large, primitive bird containing the single species Gargantuavis philoinos. It is the only member of the monotypic family Gargantuaviidae. Its fossils were discovered in several formations dating to 73.5 and 71.5 million years ago in what is now northern Spain, Southern France, and Romania. Gargantuavis is the largest known bird of the Mesozoic, a size ranging between the cassowary and the ostrich, and a mass of 141 kg (311 lb) like modern ostriches, exemplifying the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs was not a necessary condition for the emergence of giant terrestrial birds. It was once thought to be closely related to modern birds, but the 2019 discovery of a pelvis identified as cf. Elopteryx nopcsai from what was Hațeg Island (present-day Romania) shows several primitive features.
Its femur shows that it was a graviportal form rather than cursorial, not adapted for running. Due to fragmentary remains, many aspects of its biology and ecology are unknown, such as its diet. It coexisted with large predators like abelisaurid theropods, herbivores such as ankylosaurians and titanosaurian sauropods, as well as pterosaurs, crocodylomorphs, turtles, fish, and various archaic birds.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gargantuavis (revision 1365931870), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q20672151.
