An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant 'Terror Birds' in South America

An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant 'Terror Birds' in South America

A handful of bite marks on a fossil tens of millions of years old speaks to an ancient tussle between two terrifying apex predators.

An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant ‘Terror Birds’ in South America - WorldNL Magazine

Sometime between 16 and 11.6 million years ago, a young caiman came upon a tasty snack in modern-day South America. The meal, however, turned out to be rather ambitious, because the croc hadn’t come upon just any old prey. It was a phorusrhacid, a large carnivore in its own right, aptly known as a “terror bird.” The now-extinct terror bird wouldn’t have given in without a fight—unless, of course, it was already dead, and the opportunistic croc s…

An Even Scarier Predator Hunted Giant ‘Terror Birds’ in South America

A handful of bite marks on a fossil tens of millions of years old speaks to an ancient tussle between two terrifying apex predators.