{"id":123774,"date":"2024-11-09T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T01:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123774"},"modified":"2024-11-09T08:00:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T01:00:47","slug":"fossil-finding-uncovers-large-terror-bird-in-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123774","title":{"rendered":"Fossil finding uncovers large \u2018terror bird\u2019 in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/editor-note\/instances\/cm38zkizs00073b6mzk9zyxje@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"editor-note\" class=\"editor-note vossi-editor-note inline-placeholder \" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n    <em>Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter.\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters\/wonder-theory?source=nl-acq_article\"><em>Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more<\/em><\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n    <cite class=\"source__cite\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__text\" data-editable=\"source\">CNN<\/span><br \/>\n        \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<br \/>\n    <\/cite>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm38zl2md000b3b6m8yc88suy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Millions of years ago, long-legged, big-beaked, meat-eating \u201cterror birds\u201d stalked the Americas. The imposing creatures ruled the roost as top predators of their terrestrial ecosystems, and scientists recently discovered one of the largest terror birds ever unearthed.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3eub00013b6mid5s3cvi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            When paleontologists analyzed a leg bone from a fossil site in Colombia called La Venta, they identified a terror bird \u2014 perhaps a new species \u2014 that lived about 12 million years ago and dwarfed many of its South American cousins. It would have topped 8 feet (2.5 meters) in height and weighed about 344 pounds (156 kilograms), scientists reported Monday in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/epdf\/10.1002\/spp2.1601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Papers in Palaeontology<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3eub00023b6mvn0sxh7k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Most of the fossils of extinct terror birds, or phorusrhacids, come from sites in Argentina, and most species weighed between 11 pounds (5 kilograms) and 220 pounds (100 kilograms). \u201cThey are the only group of birds that achieved the role of terrestrial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/apex-predator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">apex predators<\/a>, evolving species that basically conquered South America during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/01\/07\/asia\/australia-fossil-site-scn\/index.html\">Miocene<\/a>  (about 23.03 million to 5.33 million years ago),\u201d said paleontologist and lead study author <a href=\"https:\/\/cicterra.conicet.unc.edu.ar\/investigadores\/federico-javier-degrange\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Federico Javier Degrange<\/a>, an independent researcher at the National University of C\u00f3rdoba in Argentina.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3eub00033b6myp95417d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The suspected new species was slightly taller than a terror bird from what\u2019s now Brazil called Paraphysornis brasiliensis, which stood nearly 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall. But P. brasiliensis was heavier than the La Venta giant, weighing more than 397 pounds (180 kilograms).\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3eub00043b6m0m6trd2o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A curator at the Museo La Tormenta in Colombia discovered the leg bone in the Tatacoa Desert nearly two decades ago, but paleontologists were uncertain about what type of animal to which it belonged.<strong> <\/strong>However, when Degrange saw the bone for the first time in 2023, the answer was obvious, he told CNN. Degrange has studied terror birds for almost 20 years, and he immediately recognized a structure in the front part of the bone that is only found in birds. And the oblique slant of the structure, among other features, told him that the bone belonged to a terror bird.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm38zz6hp000v3b6m6nixnbi6@published\" class=\"image_medium portrait image_medium__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_medium\" data-name=\"Terror-bird_11_6.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_medium--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"1.333125\" data-original-height=\"2133\" data-original-width=\"1600\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_medium__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_medium\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_medium--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_medium__picture\"><source height=\"2133\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2133\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2133\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2133\" width=\"1600\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/terror-bird-11-6.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"The fossil leg bone of an extinct terror bird that was found in Colombia's Tatacoa Desert is shown.\" class=\"image_medium__dam-img image_medium__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_medium__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2133\" width=\"1600\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3eub00053b6mivcaxds2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While some terror bird fossils have been found in Florida and Texas, the specimen from La Venta is believed to be the northernmost terror bird from South America documented by scientists. The discovery in Colombia suggests that terror birds could thrive in diverse habitats and could help explain how and when phorusrhacids diversified northward, Degrange said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm38zi00p000v27p90f60caoj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cUntil the recovery of this animal, we had a huge geographical gap between Argentina and Brazil, where other terror birds are known, and in the States,\u201d Degrange told CNN. \u201cIt tells us that, for terror birds, some species lived in more tropical environments,\u201d he added.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr00083b6mr5hcz734@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Placing terror birds in La Venta \u201cis one step closer to understanding how terror birds finally got to North America,\u201d Degrange said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr00093b6m07749lyc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            During the Miocene Period, La Venta\u2019s ecosystem was green, lush and humid, with large bodies of water, swamps, forests and grasslands. Hoofed mammals, which massive terror birds would likely have eaten, were common there.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr000a3b6mlvnaldn7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Other neighbors of terror birds would have included armadillo relatives called glyptodonts, a variety of perching and wading birds, and large crocodilians, according to the study.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr000b3b6mcysjto1v@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            One such croc, a species of giant caiman measuring about 30 feet (9 meters) long named Purussaurus, left tooth marks gouged into the terror bird\u2019s fossilized limb. But it\u2019s impossible to say whether the croc chomped on the living bird or scavenged a meal after the bird was dead, Degrange said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr000d3b6mcabagz9y@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Finding a terror bird in La Venta raises hope for unearthing more terror bird fossils in additional South American  locations \u2014 perhaps in Chile, said <a href=\"http:\/\/ict.uach.cl\/?page_id=113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Karen Moreno<\/a>, an adviser on paleontology at the National Monuments Council in Chile and an assistant professor at the Austral University of Chile\u2019s Institute of Earth Sciences. Moreno was not involved in the study.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr000e3b6mcz1v0uwg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The find also sheds new light on predator-prey relationships and ecological balance in  La Venta\u2019s tropical habitat, she added. \u201cWe could say that dinosaurs (birds, as such) are still at the top of the food chain in the Miocene of South America,\u201d Moreno said in an email.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm38zx4r0000q3b6m2tq6nwpt@published\" class=\"image_large portrait image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"SPP21601_rev-7.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"1.1247368421052633\" data-original-height=\"2137\" data-original-width=\"1900\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"2137\" width=\"1900\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2137\" width=\"1900\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2137\" width=\"1900\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2137\" width=\"1900\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/spp21601-rev-7.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"A map shows the countries in North America and South America (in gray) where terror bird fossils have been found. Colored dots indicate the locations of fossil sites.\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2137\" width=\"1900\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3plr000f3b6msypwno8t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            However, even top predators such as terror birds could still be vulnerable to environmental shifts, which may have eventually wiped out these avian giants.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm38zwtmu000l3b6m712xqytw@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe Miocene is an interesting period with huge climatic, oceanographic and paleogeographical changes,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cI think we are still far from answering what caused their extinction.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3w36000h3b6mmrss2ir6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Another question that researchers are hoping to answer about the bird uncovered in La Venta \u2014 and terror birds in general \u2014 is how they evolved to become so massive, Degrange said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm39c3w36000i3b6mkmkdiegg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe know that probably one of the drivers that led terror birds to get larger and larger was the competition between species of terror birds \u2014 but why <em>that<\/em> big?\u201d he said. \u201cI really hope to find more parts of the skeleton to better analyze the body size of this animal and the evolution of the whole terror bird group. Because everything about terror birds is fascinating.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph paragraph_contributors inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_contributors\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm38zi1t600003b6mclwzs8xb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <em>Mindy Weisberger is a science writer and media producer whose work has appeared in Live Science, Scientific American and How It Works magazine.<\/em>\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/08\/science\/terror-bird-fossil-la-venta-colombia\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter.\u00a0Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 Millions of years ago, long-legged, big-beaked, meat-eating \u201cterror birds\u201d &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123774\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123774\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}