An extinct flightless bird from the Cretaceous period that was adapted for diving and swimming in aquatic environments.
From Greek baptos 'dipped' + ornis 'bird'—literally 'dipped bird' or 'diving bird.' Named by scientists in the 19th century for its diving adaptations.
Baptornis is a stunning fossil reminder that birds once filled aquatic niches—before becoming flightless, it actually had useless vestigial wings, similar to modern penguins, showing evolution's solutions to swimming efficiency.
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