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Ornithoprion is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish. Its only species lived during the Moscovian age. Its fossils are preserved in black shales from the Midwestern United States. Ornithoprion's genus name, which is Greek for 'bird saw', was inspired by its bird-like skull and the saw-like appearance of the teeth in the lower jaw. The specific name honors the German zoologist Oscar Hertwig. Ornithoprion had a unique projection of its lower jaw termed the mandibular rostrum, which was covered by a beak of fused bony scales. It inhabited shallow, seasonal marine and brackish water environments. The rounded shape of Ornithoprion's teeth suggests that it hunted hard-shelled invertebrates, and bite marks and damage to some of its fossils indicate that it was fed on by other carnivores. Ornithoprion was small relative to other members of its order, with a cranium length of up to 10 cm (3.9 in) and an estimated body length of up to approximately 91 cm (36 in). (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Roman glass ewer from Gyeongju, Korea

... that a 4th-century set of Roman glassware (pictured) was highly valued by Silla royalty in Korea, and is considered a National Treasure?
... that the Tabaru River hosts the westernmost mangroves in Japan?
... that the Heliodorus stele is an independent source for an episode previously known only from 2 Maccabees?
... that one critic described a 1995 romance novel as having characters with "all the depth of a cookie sheet (though fewer dimensions)"?
... that the Ballymun Concrete News shut down when a replacement for the Ballymun Shopping Centre was cancelled?
... that Sasha Stiles's A Living Poem is rewritten in an infinite loop every sixty minutes?
... that around 7,000 trucks took part in the Razorback Blockade?
... that Robert Dalzell avoided a court-martial by marrying his commander's daughter?
... that the broadcast time slot of Then You Try Making It! was considered unusual because the series has a male protagonist?

In the news

Rumen Radev

The Progressive Bulgaria party, led by former president Rumen Radev (pictured), wins a majority of the National Assembly in the parliamentary elections, in a bid to end the ongoing Bulgarian political crisis.
Separate school shootings in Siverek and in Onikişubat, Turkey, leave 12 people dead and 35 others injured.
Romuald Wadagni wins the Beninese presidential election.
In golf, Rory McIlroy wins the Masters Tournament.

On this day

April 24: Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (1915)

Max Bruch

1866 – German composer Max Bruch (pictured) conducted the premiere of his first violin concerto, which later became his most famous work.
1915 – The Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire began with the arrest and deportation of hundreds of prominent Armenians in Constantinople.
1944 – World War II: The British Special Boat Service executed a successful raid to destroy an Axis radio station on the Greek island of Santorini.
2011 – Secret documents relating to detainees at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp were released on WikiLeaks and several independent news organizations.

Vincent de Paul (b. 1581)
Marilyn Erskine (b. 1926)
Hedda Berntsen and Steve Finnan (b. 1976)

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Le Corbusier

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier is a World Heritage Site consisting of a selection of 17 building projects in seven countries by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier (pictured). These sites demonstrate how modern architecture was applied to respond to the needs of society and show the global reach of an architectural style and an architect. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, was an architectural designer, urban planner and writer who was one of the pioneers of modern architecture. He designed buildings all over the world, and was an important representative of the 20th-century modernist movement, which introduced new architectural techniques to meet the needs of the changing society. The properties that comprise this site are of various building types and include individual houses, apartment buildings, a factory, a chapel, a monastery, a legislative assembly, a museum and a cultural centre. (Full list...)

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The Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta) is a small primate in the family Tarsiidae, the tarsiers. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs on islands including Bohol, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. With a height of 85 to 160 millimetres (3.3 to 6.3 in), it has very large eyes fixed in their sockets, a flexible neck allowing head rotations up to 180 degrees, long ankle bones for leaping, and large mobile ears suited to its nocturnal life. It is mainly insectivorous, feeding on insects and other small animals in forest habitats. The species is classed as near threatened because of habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade, and is protected by conservation laws and sanctuaries. Formerly placed in the genus Tarsius, it is now the sole species in the genus Carlito, named after the conservationist Carlito Pizarras. This Philippine tarsier of the subspecies C. s. fraterculus was photographed in the forest southwest of Bilar, on the island of Bohol.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

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