9 foot tall 1000 pound duck

[Martin]

actually it's bigger, almost 10 feet tall and around 1100 pounds

 

http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=12619

[AzurePhoenix]

These things are awesome, they've been of interest to me for quite some time now. That Mihirung the article mentions was taken from ancient aborginee legends of enormous emus that scientists think their ancestors probably encountered.

[Douglas]

That's a big fella, cute too. I wonder if Ms Hominid Lucy had one for a pet.

[Mokele]

There's what appears to be a convergence, too: Gastornis (formerly "Diatryma"), from the Americas about 50 million years ago. They've been grouped with ducks before and were possibly herbivorous too (they're also been grouped with rails and others, and are mostly likely simply in an ill-defined "basal" position).

 

Of course, these shouldn't be confused with the definitely-not-herbivorous Phorusrhacoids (aka "Terror Birds") which dominated the South American food chain for most of the Cenozoic.

 

Mokele

[Martin]

...

 

Of course' date=' these shouldn't be confused with the definitely-not-herbivorous Phorusrhacoids (aka "Terror Birds") which dominated the South American food chain for most of the Cenozoic.

...[/quote']

 

I will try to find a picture of a phorusrhacoid. Curious to see what they looked like. Anyone have an especially good webpage phor us to rhacommend?

[Martin]

Wow. look at that:

http://hoopermuseum.earthsci.carleton.ca/flightless/phorus.htm

 

 

Wiki doesnt have too much:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacoid

 

apparently about 2.5 million years ago when the landbridge between N and S American formed the large Mammal carnivores invade S America and wiped these dreadful birds out.

 

they were as much as 9 or 10 feet tall

[AzurePhoenix]

Wasn't it Titanis of the Phorusrhacoids that evovled possible hunting claws on the forewings?