Although only known from a fragment of a tibia, the recently described flesh-eating terror may have been the largest known member of its furry species. About 12 million years ago, foruracid “terrible birds” roamed what is now Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert, among relatives of car-sized armadillos, giant sloths and saber-toothed marsupial cousins.
A recently analyzed fossil reveals that this specimen was much larger than its relatives, which are estimated to have stood between 1 and 3 meters (3 and 9 feet) tall. It also contains indications of how this majestic predator likely met its end in the jaws of a much more terrifying beast.
Evolutionary biologist Federico Degrange of the Argentine Research Center for Geosciences and his colleagues discovered that the bird’s tibia was marred by teeth marks from an ancient crocodile relative. PurussaurusIt is believed to have grown up to 9 meters (30 ft) in length.
“Given the size of crocodiles from 12 million years ago, we suspect the monster bird may have died from its injuries,” says Johns Hopkins University paleontologist Siobhan Cook.
Previous findings suggest that fororacids had large beaks, making them appear clumsily heavy. This, along with their skull anatomy, suggests that birds are effective predators.
“The monstrous birds lived on the ground, had limbs suitable for running, and mostly ate other animals,” Cook explains.
Fortunately, phoracids disappeared long before humans.
The bone fragment shows that the animal was 30 percent larger than previously known Phorusrhacid specimens. The team suspects it may be a new species, but its limited remains mean they cannot rule out the possibility that it belongs to previously discovered monster birds. titans.
The remains, found on the ground by a fossil collector in the Tatacoa Desert, represent the northernmost phorasite found in South America to date. During the Middle Miocene period, before South and North America were connected, the region was lush and tropical.
Such conditions often encourage decay, making fossilization less likely. The scarcity of Phorusrhacid fossils in the region may also indicate that these species were apex predators, tending to live at much lower densities than their prey, the researchers explain.
“The fact that the vast majority of the fororacites are found in southern South America and appear very recently in Pliocene sediments in southern North America suggests that beastbirds had a South American origin,” Desgrange and his team write. article.
First discovered nearly 20 years ago by La Tormenta Museum curator Cesar Augusto Perdomo, the fossil was analyzed using 3D scanning, highlighting the deep pits typical of Phorusrhacid legs. Phorusrhacids’ closest living relatives today are almost the exact opposite of the giant flightless terroirs—instead they are lightweight, long-legged, graceful birds like the red-legged serifs (Cariama Cristata).
Giant flightless nightjars have evolved independently several times since non-avian dinosaurs met their end, including Australian “devil ducks” and Australian “devil ducks.” gastornis North America and Europe. This study was published on: Paleontology Articles.
Source: Port Altele
