August 20, 2010 1:30 PMAncient birds once lived in South America which used their powerful beak to jab prey like an agile boxer, according to a new study.
Experts say the ninety-pound flightless bird used its unusually large, rigid skull—coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak—for to fight like Muhammad Ali.
The agile creature - dubbed terror bird - is said to have repeatedly attacked and retreated, landing well-targeted, hatchet-like jabs until it made a kill.
Paleontologists say the birds evolved 60 million years ago and grew up to 7-foot-tall but because they no close analogs among modern-day birds their life habits have been shrouded in mystery.
But after using CT scans and advanced engineering methods to study they bird they know how it operated… and are pretty glad the only had fossils to work with.
Lawrence Witmer, of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, said: "Birds generally have skulls with lots of mobility between the bones, which allows them to have light but strong skulls."But we found that Andalgalornis had turned these mobile joints into rigid beams. This guy had a strong skull, particularly in the fore-aft direction, despite having a curiously hollow beak."
LINKS
Ohio University College
PLoS ONE
http://newslite.tv/2010/08/20/terror-birds-attacked-prey-wit.html
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