A new study suggests that giant terror birds could have become prey if they weren't careful around bodies of water. (Photo: Julian Bayona Becerra/Biology Letters)
Fossilised bite marks suggest there may have been a spectacular fight between a giant terror bird and an even larger crocodile some 12 million years ago.
Phororhacids, commonly known as “terror birds,” were apex predators that terrorized their prey in ancient South American ecosystems. While these flightless predators were safe on land, a new study published Tuesday (July 22) in the journal Biology Letters suggests they weren't always safe around water.
Scientists have analysed tooth marks on a leg bone from one of the largest birds of prey ever discovered, measuring over 2.7 metres (9 feet) tall and found at a site in La Venta, Colombia. The team has concluded that the marks were likely made by a 4.7 metre (15 foot) long caiman.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
