Giant flesh-eating ‘Terror Bird’ fossil uncovered – but scientists find it was killed by even more terrifying beast
A FLESH-EATING bird has been uncovered after nearly 12 million years in a Colombian desert.
Scientists revealed this extinct “Terror Bird” was the largest of its kind but explained which terrifying beast managed to take this predator out.
This carnivorous mega creature, known as Phorusrhacid, roamed Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert.
The region has been home to so-called “Terror Birds” due to their terrifying size and carnivorous tendencies.
Scientists revealed that their recent specimen was far larger than other terror bird fossils previously discovered.
This huge creature stood at over three metres tall, while its animal relatives were around one metre in height.
Bone fragments revealed the recently discovered Phorusrhacid was around 30% larger than other birds of its kind.
Palaeontologist Siobhán Cooke shared how the bird’s huge beak and skull made it a menace in its habitat, according to Science Alert.
Cooke said: “Terror birds lived on the ground, had limbs adapted for running, and mostly ate other animals.”
The palaeontologist revealed how the recently discovered Phorusrhacid could have died.
The bird’s shinbone was covered in teeth marks from a land predator.
Cooke said: “We suspect that the terror bird would have died as a result of its injuries given the size of crocodilians 12 million years ago.”
This ancient crocodile, known as Purussaurus, was thought to have been a giant at nine metres long.
The oldest terror bird fossils have dated to around 43 millions years ago, long before humans were on earth.
These terrifying carnivores were thought to have emerged after non-avian dinosaurs became extinct.
Despite this, their modern closest living relatives have none of the terrifying traits that made the Phorusrhacid stand out in the wild.
For example, the red-legged seriema is a flightless and dainty birds.
OLD FINDS
This recent ancient discovery has not been the first to shock scientists.
The world’s smallest dinosaur egg from over 80 million years ago was found, The Sun has previously reported.
This “perfectly preserved” piece was surprisingly as small as a 50p coin.
Six near-perfect egg fossils were found in a preserved nest in Ganzhou, China.
The 29mm egg has offered researchers unbelievable insights into the reproductive habits of dinosaurs.
Scientists said they planned to use micro-CT scanning to reconstruct the fossilised nest to find out how their eggs were laid and preserved.