What Animal Looks Like A Terror Bird But Is Not Related

This post may contain chapter links to our partners like Chewy, Amazon, and others. Purchasing through these helps united states of america farther the A-Z Animals mission to educate about the world'due south species..

The aptly named Terror Bird was a feathered predator that ruled the forests and plains of South America before long later on the dinosaurs died out. The giant flightless birds were characterized by large weapon-like beaks that have been likened to a pick-ax. Despite their huge size, the terror bird was faster than a modern horse.

Description & Size

Phorusrhacos is the scientific proper name of this large genus of flightless birds. The name means "rag bearer" in Latin for some unknown reason. Even so, the proper noun Terror Bird is more commonly used for this clade of monstrous carnivorous birds that ruled the South American ecosystem betwixt 60 million and 2 million years ago.

Commonly considered the largest flightless bird of all time, the Phorusrhacos stood at over 3 meters (more than 10ft). Information technology was no doubt one of the apex predators in its region and held that spot until other big predators like the Saber-Molar Tiger moved to South America from the Due north.

Scientists gauge that the terror birds might accept weighed about 130 kilograms (280 lbs.). Unlike mod flightless birds like the ostrich with relatively small heads and beaks, the terror bird's head was quite large, and it had fearsome beaks that looked like that of modern birds of casualty similar the eagle.

The Phorusrhacos' small wings fabricated it incommunicable for the bird to wing. However, the wings had an unusual sharp hook which the bird could use as a weapon. But perhaps the most formidable weapon it had was the ax-similar bill which could tear into prey and kill them instantly. The Phorusrhacos had long skinny legs that were adapted to running. Their thick-scaled feet had sharp talons for attacking casualty. The bird'south immense pace length and large middle advise that it could run faster than a equus caballus at full speed.

Terror birds were feathered predators who were largely found in Due south America.

Michael Rosskothen/Shutterstock.com

Diet – What Did Terror Bird Eat?

The deadly Terror Birds were noon predators during their fourth dimension. Fossil prove suggests that all Phorusrhacids were carnivorous. The downward curve at the tip of their powerful beaks is similar to that of modern-twenty-four hours birds of prey. Like many extant bird species with beaks like this, they most likely used their beak to tip mankind from prey.

Initially, scientists idea the Phorusrhacos could catch prey with its mouth and milk shake information technology from side to side. Even so, a close examination of this bird's skull and neck muscles suggests that it would have been unable to practise this. Nevertheless, it could exert a significant downwards force on prey animals. Scientists are also divided on the theory that the bird could have been a scavenger. They had a varied diet that consisted of whatever animal smaller than them.

Habitat – When and Where It lived

The Early Miocene to Middle Pleistocene period was the peak of the Terror bird'south reign. This was about 20 million to roughly 1.8 meg years ago. During this time, South America was an isolated continent, and the Phorusrhacos reigned supreme every bit the top predator for millions of years.

Many of their fossils have been discovered in the Santa Cruz Germination in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina. Grasslands, deserts, and steppes characterized the region at the time, and the terror birds most probable favored the grasslands and woodlands as the preferred habitat. Their range might accept covered the Patagonia region on the Southernmost edge of South America, which now covers parts of nowadays-solar day Argentina and Chile.

Threats And Predators

For a long time, the Phorusrhacos were the biggest birds on the isolated South American continent. However, the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama (a country bridge connecting south and North America) 2.vii million years ago allowed the Sabre-Toothed tiger and other big predators to migrate to South America, tipping the power balance in the area.

Given the Terror bird'due south size and ferocious advent, it is unlikely that any of these new predators could casualty on it. It could defend itself using its nib and claws. However, the invading species like the Smilodon were prolific hunters also. They could have outcompeted Phorusrhacos and displaced it as the top predator.

Discoveries and Fossils – Where It was Found

Argentinian paleontologist Florentino discovered the first Phorusrhacos fossil in 1887. The beginning-known genus identified was the Phorusrhacos longissimus, and the clarification was based on a Jawbone fragment. Initially, the giant bird was idea to be a herbivorous mammal due to its massive size.

Subsequently, in 1891, the discovery of other fossils confirmed that the initial discovery was a giant bird, not a mammal. Remains take been found in various localities in the Santa Cruz Province of Argentine republic. A more contempo fossil discovery in Comallo, Argentina, revealed new information about the shape of the bird's skull, confirming that it had a hooked rostrum that was more than half the length of the rest of the skull. The recent finding also showed that the bird was probably faster than initial estimates.

Extinction – When Did It Die Out?

The emergence of the Isthmus of Panama about 2.7 1000000 years ago marked the beginning of the finish for the Terror birds of S America. Equally part of the fauna interchange that followed, many ancient carnivorous cats, dogs, and bears crossed into Southward America. This increased competition for food between the phorusrhacids and the invading species. The phorusrhacids population declined sharply afterward, confirming the theory that the newly arrived predators contributed to their disappearance. The Terror birds disappeared most 2.v meg years ago. The specie went extinct along with other prominent predators native to Southward America similar the Sparassodonts and the terrestrial Sebecid crocodilians.

Like Animals to The Terror Bird

Like ancient animals to the Terror birds include:

• Argentavis magnificens– this giant hawkeye-like bird ruled the South American Skies bout 6 1000000 years agone and must have lived alongside the Terror birds. The Argentavis was the largest flight bird e'er to exist.
• Sparassodonts- these were carnivorous mammals more closely related to nowadays-day marsupials. These predators lived aslope the Terror birds but were non really a competition considering their smaller size.
• Titanis- this massive bird was like in size to the Phorusrhacos. Information technology went extinct during the Pleistocene epoch.

View all 74 animals that start with T

Terror birds disappeared about 2.v million years ago. Their extinction is not linked to any major world-wide extinction consequence.

Recent enquiry regarding the  possibility of humans living alongside the behemothic terror birds confirmed that there were no mode humans could have met the terror birds. The giant Titanis walle ri, one of the last sets of terror birds, became extinct over 10,000 years ago.

Source: https://a-z-animals.com/animals/terror-bird/

Posted by: reagancitaks.blogspot.com

Share this post