The dominion of the bird of terror: no, we are not talking about a sequel to the well-known film by Alfred Hitchcock, but about an interesting scientific discovery. In a recent study that shook the paleontology community, published in the journal Electronic Paleontologyan extraordinary novelty has been brought to light that significantly extends what we know about the history and geography of the so-called “terror birds“, an extinct group of gigantic feathered carnivores that once reigned in the territories of today’s Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. These animals, which lived between 23 million and 17 thousand years ago, are known for their imposing size and predatory ferocity.
Terror birds: what they are
Washington Jones, paleo-ornithologist at the National Museum of Natural History of Uruguay, describes these predators as creatures with a build similar to that of an ostrich, equipped with a curved beak and enormous claws, comparable to those of the raptors of Jurassic Park. With a weight that could reach 100 kg, these beasts were capable of tearing the flesh of their prey with extreme ease. “I definitely wouldn’t want to find myself in a cage with one of them,” joked the expert.
The discovery
The real surprise comes from the discovery of two phalanges on Seymour Island, at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, which suggest that the terror bird may also have dominated the forests of Antarctica around 50 million years ago, a period in where that area was also a lush and warm environment, well connected to South America.
This detail challenges current knowledge of the area’s prehistoric ecosystems, which are known to be devoid of large land predators. Paleontologist Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, of the National University of La Plata, together with Jones, analyzed the discovered bones, concluding that they could belong to an ancestor of the terror birds. This discovery could point to a previously unknown parallel lineage and offer new insights into early members of the Phorusrhacidae family.
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