Near-Complete Fossil Of Ferocious Terror Bird Found
A near-complete fossil of an unfamiliar and totally new species of terror bird, Llallawavis scagliai, has been uncovered by palaentologists, according to discovery.
While most of the fossil---about 90%---is preserved, the scientists get a close look at the extinct skeleton, especially the voice box, trachea, palate and auditory region of the skull, which are almost completely well-preserved, and help the scientists to get a good look at the terror bird's features. The anatomy reveals its acutely low pitched cry.
"The discovery of this species reveals that terror birds were more diverse in the Pliocene than previously thought. It will allow us to review the hypothesis about the decline and extinction of this fascinating group of birds" said Dr. Federico Degrange, of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina.
This army of huge carnivorous birds, some of which were as big as 10 feet tall, ruled South America for tens of millions of years before going extinct some 2.5 million years ago, according to thehuffingtonpost.
The "phorusracids" were obviously meat-eating and flightless, standing up to 10 feet high, with sizable hooked beaks.
Found on a beach in the east coast of Argentina, scientists said that the terror bird shows exceptional hearing and seemed to find its prey by listening for footsteps, according to washingtontimes.
"An artist's conception of the newly designated "Llallawavis scagliai" depicts it in mid-squawk with jaunty topknot feathers and pointy pink tongue. It is now a cover bird, with some growing fame. The image made the cover of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, which published the study led by Federico "Dino" Degrange of the Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra and the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - both in Argentina."
The journal describes the terror birds as the most "predominant predators during the Cenozoic Age in South America and certainly one of the most striking groups that lived during that time."
