With the largest fossil found measuring one of these bad boys at 9.8 feet tall, and beaks at an estimated 18 inches long, scientists have also reached the terrifying consensus that the Terror Bird was carnivorous, and an extremely fast and nimble runner. They inhabited South America and preferred ambush tactics to hunt their prey.
They disappear from the fossil records 1.8 million years ago, and their demise is thought to be the result of climate change in the Andes' Mountain Range, which meant that the forests became open savannahs with less places to sneak around, rendering the Terror Bird's ambush tactics less effective. Just to add to their problems, 3 million years ago the 'Great American Interchange' - the moment where the landbridge betweeen North and South America finally joined - meant that species previously separated by separate land masses were now free to mingle, and predators like Smilodon (see below) challenged the Phorusrhacidae, in what is one of countless examples in the Animal Kingdom of a Whitney/Mariah situation emerging.
It has come to my attention that this image is a remarkable representation of the events that unfolded when I was trapped inside a huge puffer fish.
ReplyDeleteMay I use the image of the terror birds to illustrate a situation when I was presented with hardships and fear?
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