Andalgalornis Paleoart

Scientific name: Andalgalornis ferox

Family: Phorusrhacidae

Epoch: Miocene

Size: 1,4 m tall

Location: South America

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Description

Andalgalornis belongs to the phororrhacid family. Birds belonging to this family are commonly known as terror birds.

This bird was 1.4 metres tall and had a huge 37 cm head. It fed on small rodent-like mammals such as Paedotherium.

The subfamily to which this genus belonged, the Patagornithinae, contained species that were rather slender in build. Andalgalornis resembled the much larger Phorusrhacos, but was more gracile than it and had a proportionally taller bill, the most massive in proportion to its body size among all phororrhacids. A CT scan analysis of the skull of Andalgalornis suggests that the bill was strong dorsoventrally (i.e. in the vertical plane) but was relatively weak mediolaterally (on the sides).

The weakness of the beak would imply that this bird could not have taken down large prey, but rather preyed on smaller prey, easier to handle and with less risk. Even so, the fact that the beak was strong dorsoventrally may have allowed Andalgalornis to quickly take down prey with a hunting strategy consisting of repeatedly attacking and retreating.

This reconstruction is made from the skull P14357 which is in the Field Museum in Chicago. Sculpted from this skull and reconstructing its possible appearance in life in a hyper-realistic way.

Bibliographies consulted: Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. Höfling, Elizabeth (2003): Systematic revision of the Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 43(4): 55-91 PDF fulltext Degrange, F.J.; Tambussi, C.P.; Moreno, K.; Witmer, L.M.; Wroe, S. (2010). «Mechanical Analysis of Feeding Behavior in the Extinct “Terror Bird” Andalgalornis steulleti (Gruiformes: Phorusrhacidae)». PLoS ONE 5 (8): e11856. PMC 2923598. PMID 20805872. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011856.g001. Tambussi, C. P.; De Mendoza, R.; Degrange, F.J.; Picasso, M.B. (2012). “Flexibility along the Neck of the Neogene Terror Bird Andalgalornis steulleti (Aves Phorusrhacidae)”. In Evans, Alistair Robert, ed. PLoS ONE 7 (5): e37701. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037701. Kraglievich, Lucas (1931): Contribution to the knowledge of fossil birds of the Araucan-Entrerrian period. Physis 10: 304-315. Patterson, B. Kraglievich, Lucas (1960): Systematics and nomenclature of phororhachoid birds of the Argentine Pliocene. Publication of the Municipal Museum of Natural and Traditional Sciences of Mar del Plata 1: 1-51.

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