Wakinyantanka styxi

† Wakinyantanka styxi is a Late Cretaceous hesperornithiform from the Pierre Shale of South Dakota, USA. Named for a Lakota thunder bird spirit, this large toothed diving bird inhabited the ancient Western Interior Seaway that divided North America.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Wakinyantanka styxi was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Wakinyantanka styxi lived during the Cretaceous Late period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago.

The final age of dinosaurs, featuring iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity before the catastrophic asteroid impact at the Chicxulub crater ended the Mesozoic Era.