Kelenken
| Kelenken guillermoi Temporal range: Miocene, 15 Ma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Life restoration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cariamiformes |
| Family: | †Phorusrhacidae |
| Subfamily: | †Phorusrhacinae |
| Genus: | †Kelenken Bertelli et al., 2007 |
| Species: | †K. guillermoi |
| Binomial name | |
| Kelenken guillermoi Bertelli et al., 2007 | |
Kelenken guillermoi was a species of giant flightless predatory birds of the extinct family Phorusrhacidae, or "terror birds".
Description
K. guillermoi lived in the Langhian stage of the Miocene, some 15 million years ago, in Argentina.
With a skull 71.6 cm (28.2 inches) long, it had the largest head of any known bird. It is the largest species of phorusrhacid. The tarsometatarsus is about 43.7 cm (17.2 inches) long.[1]
Diet
It is not entirely clear how Kelenken captured and killed its prey. As a large flightless carnivore, Kelenken likely chased down and killed its prey with several bone-shattering blows from its massive beak. Another possibility is that it may have picked up its prey item, then proceeded to shake it vigorously in order to break its back. It is also possible that Kelenken may have been a scavenger, driving off other predators from their kills with its impressive size.
References
- ↑ Bertelli, S.; Chiappe, L. M.; Tambussi, C. (2007). "A new phorusrhacid (Aves: Cariamae) from the middle Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (2): 409. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[409:ANPACF]2.0.CO;2.