Terror bird may have been killed by even bigger creature 13 million years ago, bite marks suggest
Share this @internewscast.com

Standing around 10 feet tall, weighing roughly 220 pounds, and boasting an axe-like beak capable of delivering devastating blows, the terror bird would have been a formidable adversary for most creatures.

However, about 13 million years ago, one of these birds might have become the victim of an even larger predator. A team of paleontologists in Colombia uncovered this possibility after examining bite marks on a fossilized bone of one of these fearsome birds.

Their findings, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal “Biology Letters,” suggest that the terror bird was either killed and eaten or consumed after death by scavenging, by a medium-sized caiman, a crocodile-like reptile.

“This is a fascinating story of the interaction of two very iconic animals in the past,” Andrés Link, the study’s lead author, told NBC News in an email Wednesday. “We actually found not only the first record of a terror bird in northern south America, but the tooth marks of a large caiman that has probably fed on it,” he added.

Terror bird fossils, which are rare, have mostly been identified in the southern part of the continent.

While tooth marks are “not uncommon” in the fossil record, it’s “exciting” to find evidence that indicates an apex predator being hunted or scavenged by another, said Link, an associate professor of biological sciences at the Los Andes University in Colombia.

Writing in “Biology Letters,” the team said the teeth marks showed no signs of healing, suggesting that the attack was fatal.

Based on the finding, they added that terror birds might have faced higher risk of being killed and eaten than previously expected.

Julian Bayona Becerra / Biology Letters

To identify the attacker, Link and his team scanned the fossil and analyzed the size, shape and spacing of the tooth marks. After comparing those marks with teeth of crocodyliforms from the region, they concluded that the trace maker was likely a juvenile caiman about 15 feet long.

It remains “very difficult” to know if the caiman ate the terror bird after killing it or whether it scavenged the carcass, Link said. If the bird was alive, it was likely attacked while drinking at a river, researchers wrote, and conversely, if it was dead, the caiman found and fed on its body near water.

“This story will not be told completely as we have no further evidence to choose between these two hypotheses.” Link said.

The discovery challenges the assumption of “a linear relation between predators feeding on herbivores feeding in plants,” he added. “The food web is really much more complex.”

The lower part of the bird’s left leg bone used in the study was unearthed in the renowned La Venta fossil beds of Colombia two decades ago by Cesar Perdomo, a local paleontologist.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Experience the Vibrancy of Downtown: Annual Main Street Days Returns to Johnson City

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — This weekend, the bustling streets of downtown…

Texas National Guard Mobilized in Austin in Anticipation of ‘No Kings’ Demonstration

In a proactive move, Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealed on Thursday plans…

Surge Alert: Major Shakeup Expected in AP Top 25 Rankings!

The anticipation for the newest AP Top 25 college football rankings is…

Discover the Legacy: Kansas City Honors America’s First Black Female Millionaire with Street Renaming

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a tribute to America’s pioneering Black female…

Prosecutors Reveal Man’s Attempt to Dodge Charges by Seeking Deportation

A man from Mexico who turned himself over to federal authorities in…

Israel Confirms Identity of Hostage’s Body Amid Ongoing Gaza Crossing Closure

TEL AVIV – In a somber development, Israeli authorities confirmed on Sunday…

Shocking Case: Georgia Parents Face Murder Charges Over Infant Found in Trash Bag – Bail Denied

JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) — In a distressing turn of events in suburban…

Hundreds Rally in Tampa for ‘No Kings’ Protest Movement

Across the United States, including in the Tampa Bay area, ‘No Kings’…

Urbana Hosts Inspiring Event to Honor Survivors for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — As October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the…

Trump Accuses Colombia’s Petro of Drug Leadership, Vows to Halt US Aid: A Diplomatic Shake-Up

PALM BEACH, Fla. – In a move that heightens tensions between the…

Justice in Focus: Former Deputy Faces Trial for Sonya Massey Murder

PEORIA, Ill. (WCIA) — In the wake of a tragic incident that…

FEMA Grant Delays and New Rules Spark Concerns Over Disaster Response Effectiveness, Warn State Officials

State emergency management officials are sounding alarms over significant reductions in federal…