Andalgalornis

An-dal-gal-or-niss.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Andalgalornis

Phonetic

An-dal-gal-or-niss.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Cariamae,‭ ‬Phorusrhacidae,‭ ‬Patagornithinae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬steulleti‭

Size

Up to‭ ‬1.4‭ ‬meters tall. Skull 37 centimetres long.

Known locations

Argentina.

Time Period

Late Miocene to Early Pliocene.

Fossil representation

Several specimens.

In Depth

       Andalgalornis has a more gracile build than many other South American‭ ‘‬terror birds‭’‬ and this lightweight build is also reflected in the skull and beak.‭ ‬In depth analysis suggests that the beak was strongest when subjected to stresses from below rather than the sides.‭ ‬This meant that gripping and holding large prey was a risky business for Andalgalornis,‭ ‬but it does support two long held theories about how terror birds hunted and dispatched their prey.‭ ‬One is to focus upon smaller prey that could be easily killed by picking it up and throwing it hard against the ground and then swallowing the animal.‭ ‬The second is that the hook tip of the beak was used to strike down onto a preys‭’‬ skull to cause a mortal injury that would result in a quick death for the prey.

Further Reading

– Mechanical Analysis of Feeding Behavior in the Extinct “Terror Bird” Andalgalornis steulleti (Gruiformes: Phorusrhacidae). – PLoS ONE. 5 (8): e11856. – F. J. Degrange, C. P. Tambussi, K. Moreno, L. M. Witmer & S. Wroe – 2010. – Flexibility along the Neck of the Neogene Terror Bird Andalgalornis steulleti (Aves Phorusrhacidae). – PLoS ONE. 7 (5): e37701. – C. P. Tambussi, R. De Mendoza, F. J. Degrange & M. B. Picasso [Alistair Robert Evans, ed.] – 2012.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT