Agapornis atlanticus
| Agapornis atlanticus Temporal range:
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Genus: | Agapornis |
| Species: | †A. atlanticus
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| Binomial name | |
| †Agapornis atlanticus Mourer-Chauviré & Geraads, 2010
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Agapornis atlanticus is an extinct species of Agapornis parrot that lived during the Piacenzian stage of the Pliocene epoch.
Distribution
Agapornis atlanticus fossils are known from the site of Ahl al Oughlam in Morocco, located near the city of Casablanca.[1]
Paleoenvironment
All known specimens of Agapornis atlanticus originate from the cave deposits of Ahl al Oughlam near Casablanca, Morocco.[1] The deposits of this locality were most likely formed 2.5 million years ago, though could potentially have been laid down at any point between 2.8 and 2.4 million years ago, ranging from the Piacenzian stage of the Late Pliocene epoch across the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary into the Gelasian stage of the Early Pleistocene epoch.[2] The fossil assemblage of Ahl al Oughlam is believed to have originated from an open landscape with only sparse wood cover and no large permanent sources of freshwater, as indicated by the absence of tree-dwelling monkeys and near-absence of any forest or woodland bovids, whereas remains of desert-adapted gerbilline rodents are by far the most numerous fossils from this site. The mixture of species associated with cooler temperatures (such as the walrus Ontocetus emmonsi) and warmer climates (such as A. atlanticus) may suggest that the site had high seasonality, and these species may have been seasonal visitors to the area rather than permanent residents.[3] Most of the large animal bones were found beneath a vertical chimney, suggesting at least some animals fell into the cave from above, though many were likely kills brought in by carnivores using the cave as shelter. The carcasses gathered in the pit may have attracted more carnivores to scavenge on them, only to end up trapped themselves.[2]
References
- ^ a b Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile; Geraads, Denis (26 May 2010). "The Upper Pliocene avifauna of Ahl al Oughlam, Morocco. Systematics and biogeography. In Proceedings of the VII International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, ed. W.E. Boles and T.H. Worthy". Records of the Australian Museum. 62 (1): 157–184. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.62.2010.1538. ISSN 0067-1975. Retrieved 24 February 2025 – via Australian Museum.
- ^ a b Geraads, Denis; Lefévre, David; Raynal, Jean-Paul (2022). "37 - Ahl al Oughlam, Morocco: The Richest Fossil Site in North Africa at the Pliocene/Pleistocene Boundary". In Reynolds, Sally C.; Bobe, René (eds.). African paleoecology and human evolution. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge university press. pp. 468–474. doi:10.1017/9781139696470.037. ISBN 978-1-107-07403-3.
- ^ Geraads, Denis (2006). "The late Pliocene locality of Ah1 a1 Oughlam, Morocco: vertebrate fauna and interpretation". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 61 (2): 97–101. Bibcode:2006TRSSA..61...97G. doi:10.1080/00359190609519958. ISSN 0035-919X.