Ichthyornis dispar

† Ichthyornis dispar — the type species of Ichthyornis; a Late Cretaceous toothed bird from Kansas. Small piscivorous gull-like bird (~20 cm, ~80 g) with teeth in both jaws, an ancestral condition. From the Niobrara Chalk. First described by Marsh in 1872; now known from exceptional specimens incl.

Diet & Feeding

Piscivore

Ichthyornis dispar was a fish-eating dinosaur. Piscivores typically lived near water sources and had specialized adaptations such as elongated snouts and conical teeth for catching fish.

Time Period

Cretaceous Late Mesozoic Era

Ichthyornis dispar 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.