Reply to comments on “A well-preserved pelvis from the Maastrichtian of Romania suggests that the enigmatic Gargantuavis is neither an ornithurine bird nor an insular endemic”

We appreciate the comments of Buffetaut and Angst on our recent study of a Gargantuavis-like pelvis from the Late Cretaceous of Romania. We consider some of their points to be valid, but maintain our conclusion on the likely absence of a glycogen body in Gargantuavis and the lack of fusion of the pelvic elements in the acetabular region. Both characters conflict with a classification of the taxon into Ornithurae. We also uphold our hypothesis that Gargantuavis is possibly related to the enigmatic theropod Balaur bondoc.

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Paleontology