Teratornis
Skeleton of Teratornis merriami in the La Brea Tar Pits Museum
Teratornis was one in western North America (Florida to California) common bird species that resembled today's vultures, the close relationship of this kind as well as the total Teratornithidae is still, however, unclear. Two species have been described.
Teratornis merriami had a wingspan of about 3.5 to 3.8 m, weighed about 15 kilograms and standing reached a height of about 75 cm; He was thus one of the smaller species of the family. The species was widespread in North America during the late Pleistocene fossils of at least 100 animals of this type were found in California (especially in the La Brea Tar Pits ), Arizona, Nevada and Florida. He is counted to the North American megafauna.
Teratornis incredibilis was about 40 % larger than T. merriami. Standing, he was also 75 cm high, but had a wingspan of 5.2 to 5.9 m. Its fossil remains have been found in Nevada and California.
The huge, board-like wings, the giant beak and barely curved claws indicate that Teratornis mainly the thermals as well as other representatives of the family much like today's Old World vulture used over open countryside in search of food and lived off carrion of Pleistocene large mammals. The (1983 ) held hypothesis of Campbell & Tonni that Teratorniden captured mainly live prey of hares size and did not live primarily on carrion, by Feduccia (1996 ) has been rejected due to the totally unsuitable for such a diet morphology.
Swell
- A. Feduccia: The origin and evolution of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven / London 1996, ISBN 0-300-06460-8. Pp. 305-307
- Love H. Miller: Teratornis, a new avian genus from Rancho La Brea. University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geology 5, 1909; Pages 305-317.