Llallawavis

Llallawavis scagliai
Temporal range: 3.5 Ma
↓

Pliocene

Life reconstruction.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cariamiformes
Family: Phorusrhacidae
Subfamily: Mesembriornithinae
Genus: Llallawavis
Species: L. scagliai
Binomial name
Llallawavis scagliai
Degrange et al., 2015[1]

Llallawavis scagliai (Magnificent Bird of Scaglia) is a large, extinct predatory bird from Pliocene Argentina. Its fossil is the most complete fossil of a phorusrhacid (or "terror bird") yet found.

The fossil, discovered in 2010 in sediment among the cliffs above La Estafeta beach, contains the complete palate, complete trachea, skull, voice box, and eye bones.[1] The fossil shows L. scagliai was a medium-sized phorusrhacid around four feet tall and lived in Argentina approximately 3.5 million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch.[2]

L. scagliai likely roamed in grassland and weighed around 40 pounds (18 kg).[3] The joints separating the skulls bones were fused, unlike modern birds, and that may have helped it batter prey. CT scans of its inner ear show that it could only hear frequencies between about 380 and 4230 hertz, and probably had a deep voice to match.[4]

The below cladogram is simplified after the analysis of Degrange et al. (2015).[1]

Phorusrhacidae

Mesembriornithinae

Mesembriornis incertus

Mesembriornis milneedwardsi

Llallawavis

Procariama

Psilopterinae

Other phorusrhacids



References

  1. 1 2 3 Degrange, Federico J.; Tambussi, Claudia P.; Taglioretti, Matías L.; Dondas, Alejandro; Scaglia, Fernando (20 March 2015). "A new Mesembriornithinae (Aves, Phorusrhacidae) provides new insights into the phylogeny and sensory capabilities of terror birds". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (2): e912656. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.912656.
  2. ↑ "Llallawavis scagliai: Exceptionally preserved fossil gives voice to ancient terror bird". Science Codex. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  3. ↑ Perkins, Sid (9 April 2015). "New species of 'terror bird' discovered". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aab2465. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  4. ↑ Webb, Jonathan (10 April 2015). "'Terror birds' had deep voices, fossil suggests". Science & Environment. BBC. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
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