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Diving bird
Ave
Physical Attributes
Kingdom Reptilia
Species Baptornis
Height Approx. 2 ft'
Eye Color Varying
Feather Color Varying
Diet Carnivore
NoGallery


Baptornis ('Diving bird')[1] were aquatic hesperornitheans (avialans related to modern birds) that were extinct during the ice ages.

Traits[]

Similar in many respects to penguins, diving birds were water birds (avialans but not neornitheans) through, taking to water with their streamlined build. Sporting long, thin necks, the diving birds caught their meals with their long beaks, lined with small teeth equipped for catching fish, and maneuvered themselves through the water with their webbed feet and tiny, flightless wings.

History[]

During the warmer stages of the ice age, the ice and snow began to thaw, allowing dozens of species, including the diving birds, to enjoy the naturally-occurring pools and water slides located in Ice Valley. Some of the diving birds would swim in the lakes, feeding off the schools of piranha that schooled there, while others would stay more towards the swamps and marshes. Flocks of the birds left the naturally-occurring waterpark behind upon hearing news of the land flooding, heading for a boat at the end of the valley. The diving birds made it safely to the boat and were among those animals that registered astonishment at seeing a passing herd of mammoths, animals long since thought extinct by other animals.

Many years later, some diving birds reside in the Herd Valley presumably after the continental drift and witnessed a meteor shower.

Behind the Scenes[]

The genus to which the diving birds belong is Baptornis. The name "diving bird", which is the meaning of Baptornis in Latin, has been used by who worked on the movie in the concept art.

Baptornis, like many of the animals within the Ice Age stories, were not true creatures of the ice ages; they were instead creatures of the Cretaceous (80-90 millions years ago), a genus of dinosaur, the Baptornis could’ve lived with the dinosaurs before they accidentally went to the Ice Age.

Despite being referred to as "diving birds", Baptornis was actually a member of the Hesperornithes not Neornithes. Birds are variously defined as members of Avialae or members of Neornithes.

Appearances[]

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References[]

Animal Species
AardvarkArmadilloBadgerBaptornisBatBeaverBirdBlue-footed boobyBoarBrontotheriumChalicothereCondorDiatrymaDodoDung BeetleElephant sealElkGazelleGiant Butterfly GigantopithecusGlyptodonGround slothHyraxMacraucheniaMammothMini-slothMolehogMusk OxPalaeotheriumPenguinPiranhaPlatybelodonProcoptodonNarwhalNeanderthalOpossumRabbitRatReindeerSaber-tooth tigerSaber-tooth squirrelSharkSirenSpiderVultureWeaselWhale
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