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The type species, A. magnificens, is sometimes called the giant teratorn. Argentavis was among the largest flying birds to ever exist, holding the record for heaviest flying bird, although it was surpassed in wingspan after the 2014 description of Pelagornis sandersi, which is estimated to have possessed wings some 20% longer than those of ...
Teratornithidae is an extinct family of very large birds of prey that lived in North and South America from the Late Oligocene to Late Pleistocene. They include some of the largest known flying birds. Its members are known as teratorns.
During the early Cenozoic, after the extinction of the non-bird dinosaurs, mammals underwent an evolutionary diversification, and some bird groups around the world developed a tendency towards gigantism; this included the Gastornithidae, the Dromornithidae, the Palaeognathae, and the Phorusrhacidae. [36]
Palaeognathae (/ ˌ p æ l i ˈ ɒ ɡ n ə θ i /; from Ancient Greek παλαιός (palaiós) 'old' and γνάθος (gnáthos) 'jaw') is an infraclass [1] of birds, called paleognaths or palaeognaths, within the class Aves of the clade Archosauria.
The finger bones of the Teratornis were fused as in all modern birds; however, part of the index finger forms a shelf which aided in bearing the load of long and stout primaries, enabling the bird to utilize strong upcurrents in flight. Their legs were similar to an Andean condor's, but stouter, and the feet could hold prey for tearing off ...
The largest prehistoric horse was Equus giganteus of North America. It was estimated to grow to more than 1,250 kg (1.38 short tons) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) at the shoulders. [138] The largest anchitherine equid was Hypohippus at 403 to 600 kg (888 to 1,323 lb), comparable to large modern domestic horses.
Pelagornis sandersi comparison with the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and the wandering albatross (Diomeda exulans). The sole specimen of P. sandersi has a wingspan estimated between approximately 6.06 and 7.38 m (19.9 and 24.2 ft), [9] giving it the largest wingspan of any flying bird yet discovered, twice that of the wandering albatross, which has the largest wingspan of any extant bird (up ...
The scientific name Dromornithidae derives from the Greek words δρομαίος, dromaios ("swift-running") and ὀρνις, ornis ("bird"). [8] The family was named by Max Fürbringer in 1888, citing W. B. Clarke and Gerard Krefft, Owen's separation from "Dromaeus" and Dinornis, and a note by von Haast allying Dromornis with Dromaeus.