Terra-bird alert! Huge 'Terror Bird' Fossil Discovered in Patagonia

[Poll_Blind]

Stephanie Abramowicz © 2006

From NPR:

Scientists have discovered a skull belonging to a hook-beaked bird that ruled the grasslands of South America. Scientists are calling the bird a "terror bird."

The bird didn't fly because it didn't have to. Instead, it put its biological resources into growing bigger and faster than anything else on the continent. It was the largest bird ever and the top predator in South America millions of years ago.

Paleontologist Luis Chiappe identified the skull –- the largest on record -– in Argentina. He says this carnivorous bird was ferocious.

"This is not like a crocodile," says Chiappe. "This was a warm-blooded, enormous very-active bird. With the size of the skull, imagine the damage that skull could have done just by hitting something."

--snip--

These creatures would likely be the primitive ancestors of:

AND

PB

[Ignacio Upton]

1. Another reason to like Patagonia!

n/t.

[Uben]

2. That beast is UGLY!

But that birdlike creature is cute!

[Anakin Skywalker]

3. What Beer Do You Drink?

LOL :)

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Too bad the name "dinornis" ("terrible bird") is taken.

http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/moagiant.html

http://www.abc.net.au/beasts/evidence/prog5/page6.htm for "Walking with beasts {sic!}" depiction.
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1724380 has a nice page on phororhacids.

[Poll_Blind]

5. Wow, thanks for the pic/info! n/t

PB

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Happy to oblige. Read way too many dino books as a kid. nt

[Jeffery]

7. -

I wasn't expecting this to get political! It is kind of funny, though.