Gastornis: Difference between revisions

|originalpic=GastornisOriginal.png

|name_sci=Gastornis parisiensis

|introduction=The '''Gastornis''' is a type of extinct bird [[Friend]] that appears in multiple Kemono Friends media.

|appearance=Gastornis has red hair that fades into a darker tone at the tips - part of it is tied at the front with green pearls, and she has a massive curled bang that's beige in coloration and black at the tip - that represents the beak of a ''Gastornis''. She also has a headband with an oval orange section at the ends, meant to represent the eyes of a ''Gastornis''. She has yellow irides with no highlights, signifying her animal species is extinct. She has a large red furred collar tied by a ribbon of similar coloration - this ribbon fades into yellow at the tips. Below is a white sleeveless shirt, followed by a brown corset and an armored skirt of the same color with iron buttons. It has a furred end. Her arms and legs have various bandages tied around them, and she wears brown sandals. Like other Friends, she has traits of the animal species she belonged to in her otherwise human body - that includes a large blue and red tail that belongs to the ''Gastornis'' animal, and since she is an avian, she has wings of the same color on her head.

Gastornis appears in a puzzle of Kemono Friends Picross where the player can obtain a picture of the friend by solving a puzzle.

|reallife=[[File:Gastornis_skeleton2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left]]Gastornithidae was a family of large flightless bird species native to Europe, Asia and North America roughly 45-60 million years ago. All species were about 2 meters tall, flightless birds, similar to ostriches. It is unknown what kind of feathers they had, it is assumed they were hair-like similar to those of modern ratites, such as the [[emu]] or [[Southern Cassowary|cassowary]]. Despite the similarities to modern large flightless birds, ''Gastornis'' is more closely related to small waterfowl such as ducks, geese and swans. Their underdeveloped wings assumedly didn't have much purpose besides being used as a mating display.

For decades since its initial discovery, ''Gastornis'' was assumed to be a carnivore due to its large, strong beak. However, the beak did not have a hooked tip which is very common in other meat-eating birds as it helps in killing prey and tearing off meat. ''Gastornis'' also lacks sharp, curved talons unlike other birds of prey. Instead, the beak would be used to crush seeds or fruits with hard shells. To prove this theory, scientists have analyzed dietary clues in the bird's preserved bones and carbon isotopes and compared it with other herbivores from the same time period and modern birds of prey.

The reasons for ''Gastornis''' extinction are unknown but believed to be either increasing competition with mammals or more likely, climate change.

|trivia=* Her binomial name in [[Kemono Friends Pavilion]] and [[Kemono Friends 3]] is '''''Gastornis parisiensis''''', which is the type species for ''Gastornis'', while '''''Gastornis gigantea''''' is the one that was once classified as ''Diatryma''. However this was changed in 2024 where it was revealed that both ''Gastornis'' and ''Diatryma'' are different genera. All specimens classified in ''Diatryma'' have stouter tarsometatarsi than ''Gastornis'', which indicates heavier body weight or having different walking and feeding postures. ''Diatryma'' also had a different beak shape from ''Gastornis'' which indicates different feeding ecologies.

* After the genus split in 2024, ''Gastornis'' now includes three species assigned within it: '''''Gastornis parisiensis''''', '''''Gastornis russelli''''', and '''''Gastornis laurenti'''''. The genus ''Diatryma'' also includes three species: '''''Diatryma gigantea''''', '''''Diatryma sarasini''''', and '''''Diatryma geiselensis'''''.

* Her plumage seems to be inspired from the ''Gastornis'' from BBC's documentary: "[[Wikipedia:Walking with Beasts|Walking with Beasts]]" (2001).

|reference=*Black, R., 2014. Giant Prehistoric Bird Crushed Seeds, Not Little Horses. [online] National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/giant-prehistoric-bird-crushed-seeds-not-little-horses

*Mayr, G. et al. 2024. Resurrecting the taxon Diatryma: A review of the giant flightless Eocene Gastornithiformes (Aves), with a report of the first skull of Diatryma geiselensis. https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5393-review-of-gastornithiformes

[[Category:Real Animal Friends]] [[Category:Bird Friends]] [[Category:Extinct Friends]] [[Category:Nexon Game Debuts]] [[Category:Prehistoric Friends]]