Cratoavis cearensis

† Cratoavis cearensis is an enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Ceará, Brazil, one of the few Cretaceous birds known from South America's Gondwanan interior. A small toothed avian, it inhabited the arid to semi-arid lakeside environments of the interior Cretaceous basin. Preserved in the famous Crato limestone Lagerstätte, specimens show soft tissue details including feather colouration. Its discovery expanded knowledge of enantiornithine geographic distribution.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Cratoavis cearensis 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 Early Mesozoic Era

Cratoavis cearensis lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.