Largest predatory bird in world: Scientists find fossil dating back 12 million years
What was the largest bird in history (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
Until recently, scientists believed that the largest bird ever existed at a height of 3 meters. However, a recent discovery suggests that an even larger bird once roamed the Earth.
IFL Science reports about the findings regarding the largest bird in history.
What is known about the find
Recently discovered leg bones from Colombia likely belong to the largest member of the Phorusrhacid family, known as terror birds.
The team of scientists that described the find estimates that this individual was 5 to 20 percent larger than the previous record-holder, which could reach 3 meters in height.
The bone, which expands the size range of predatory birds, is not new; it was found nearly 20 years ago. However, when César Perdomo from the Museo La Tormenta in Colombia first discovered the fossil, he was uncertain of its species.
Initial investigations determined that the fossil dates back to the Miocene epoch (around 12 million years ago) and represents the lower part of the creature's left leg. Its size led paleontologists to question its origin, but scans revealed deep pits characteristic of Phorusrhacid leg bones.
Subsequently, researchers created a 3D model of the bone and concluded that it indeed belonged to a Phorusrhacid.
In addition to the natural pits, the scans also uncovered tooth marks likely from an ancient species of crocodile known as Purussaurus, a 9-meter caiman. Scientists suggested that the bird may have died from the injuries inflicted by these crocodiles, which were present 12 million years ago.
Beyond its size, this finding is notable for another reason: most fossils of terror birds have been found in Argentina and its surroundings. The Tatacoa Desert in Colombia, where this discovery was made, lies north of the equator, an area where Phorusrhacid remains had not previously been found.
What has been discovered about the bird species
Phorusrhacids fully live up to their nickname of terror birds. Not only did they feed on meat rather than fruits or seeds like most giant birds, but they were also the primary predators in South America for at least 43 million years.
To effectively hunt their prey, Phorusrhacids had robust limbs adapted for running. It is based on these characteristics that the bird's size was estimated.
Calculations based on a portion of one bone are approximate, but Dr Siobhan Cooke of Johns Hopkins University and her co-authors estimated that this bird would have weighed around 156 kg. Given that their smaller-footed relatives reached heights of 3 meters, this creature could well have surpassed the previously established height record.
Earlier, we wrote about how a cat helped discover a new virus.
In addition, we discussed what the smallest frog in the world looks like.
