According to estimates, the bird from the family Phorusrhacidae could have a height of up to 2.5 meters and a weight of around 156 kilograms. He was able to hunt prey thanks to his large beak and strong legs.
Photo: Nobu Tamura/Wikipedia
A bird from the Phorusrhacidae family
New research by paleontologists has brought a fascinating insight into the past of South America. Scientists recently discovered a fossil of a bird from the Phorusrhacidae family, which was believed to be one of the largest of its kind. This aggressive and predatory bird lived approximately 12 million years ago in what is now Colombia. The discovered remains are specifically a leg bone, which points to the exceptional size of this individual – according to estimates, it could have reached a height of up to 2.5 meters and a weight of around 156 kilograms.
The fossil, found in the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia, provides new evidence that these birds ranged much further north than previously thought. Although most of the fossils of these raptors have been found in Argentina, the new discovery suggests that these birds also spread to the northern parts of South America.
The scientific team led by paleontologist Federico Javier Degrange sa believesthat it may be a new species that differed from its South American relatives not only in size, but also in adaptation to the tropical climate. This hypothesis is based on the fact that terror bird fossils are mostly found in temperate to arid regions. According to paleontologists, these flightless birds could also inhabit tropical areas, where they probably thrived in an environment of dense vegetation.
Large carnivorous birds with long and strong legs were one of the few that evolved into dominant terrestrial predators, capable of hunting even larger animals. Their strong beaks gave them strength, and their legs gave them high running speed (up to 50 kilometers per hour), which helped them catch prey even in the harsh conditions of the Miocene era.
Source: vat.pravda.sk
