tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post57510523355201459..comments2024-03-23T12:02:36.626-07:00Comments on Mark P. Witton's Blog: We need to talk about teratornsMark Wittonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02524696111911168322noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-18617899645714929182022-01-20T19:12:35.607-08:002022-01-20T19:12:35.607-08:00Hey Mark, I found this truly interesting and a gre...Hey Mark, I found this truly interesting and a great way to diversify the life histories of "Cathartiformes" birds of prey. A fairly well known paleoartist, who goes by the name HodariNundu, made a speculative piece of paleoart involving a teratorn swallowing a bone, using it to help explain a very new (as far as I know) speculation that teratorns were adapted to feeding on bones, or at least the marrow, as bearded vultures do. Do you think such a niche could be possible for members of Teratornithidae, given certain skeletal and skull features, like proportionally smaller eyes placed more laterally on the skull, their pelvic region more adapted for walking, the skull not too well suited for vulture-like dining habits, as well as their commonality at the La Brea tar pits and extinction with the megafaunal?Jonathan Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04554319886424205348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-24331713246911992462020-02-24T05:50:56.218-08:002020-02-24T05:50:56.218-08:00"Overbuilt hind legs but lacking in killing c..."Overbuilt hind legs but lacking in killing claws, comparatively short wingspans, and flexible jaws that allowed them to swallow smallish prey whole."<br /><br />Sounds like Azhdarchid pterosaurs lol.Pds3.14https://www.blogger.com/profile/01042151103642336762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-51964756722701228522019-11-02T21:22:36.134-07:002019-11-02T21:22:36.134-07:00Hi Mark,
I'm not sure what the sample size is...Hi Mark,<br /><br />I'm not sure what the sample size is of other avifauna fossils from La Brae. But, given that teratorns are so common, would that lend further credence to their terrestrial stalking habits? I.e. they'd be more likely to get stuck if they were less likely to rely on volant habits?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08065433288072243670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-41840050833024789212019-10-19T02:55:48.123-07:002019-10-19T02:55:48.123-07:00I find logical to compare the Teratornis skull wit...I find logical to compare the Teratornis skull with that of Gymnogyps, as they are supposed to be related. But, from a morphological point of view, the skull of Teratornis seeems to me far more similar to the skull of Gyps. I've compared the Teratornis cranium here depicted with a Gyps fulvus skull on hand, and there are very similar features: deep, hooked and powerful rostrum, the way in which premaxilar and jaws close together, robust postauditory and postocular processes,...these are features that Gyps vultures shares with Aquila, and it doesn't prevent them from being highly specialized scavengers.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15624273209417407710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-4565587103629079702019-09-19T11:49:27.871-07:002019-09-19T11:49:27.871-07:00Bird-azhdarchids then.
In regards to the facial f...Bird-azhdarchids then.<br /><br />In regards to the facial feathers, vultures lack those not due to their scavenging habits but for thermoregulation; likewise so do many storks and ratites. I think that teratorns would look "vulture-like" even if they weren't dedicated scavengers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-76836086580342939312019-09-13T07:42:21.841-07:002019-09-13T07:42:21.841-07:00For sure, I just found it vaguely amusing how they...For sure, I just found it vaguely amusing how they seemed to line up this way with a similar ecological niche.Zerox Z21https://www.blogger.com/profile/17869302742607157151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-50475958589111957162019-09-07T10:13:21.645-07:002019-09-07T10:13:21.645-07:00just look around and see how many birds that can f...just look around and see how many birds that can fly very well only use flight as a last option.p.kersbergenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08437108874481004342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-10769110144903406232019-09-03T04:29:50.458-07:002019-09-03T04:29:50.458-07:00Why does everything keep being restored as flight-...Why does everything keep being restored as flight-capable, terrestrial stalking predators these days? First azdharchids, now these... maybe it's just you Mark :p<br />Seriously though this is interesting stuff. The constant need for X to be the biggest X is frustrating, though.Zerox Z21https://www.blogger.com/profile/17869302742607157151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-42047856659317179762019-09-01T04:52:37.513-07:002019-09-01T04:52:37.513-07:00It makes you wonder how much overlap they would ha...It makes you wonder how much overlap they would have had with Phorusrhacids in terms of prey choice. There could have been quite a bit of competition between Teratorns, Phorusrhacids and Secretary bird like eagles.<br /><br /> LeeB.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08913426529002700304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-26098490944519472812019-08-30T14:45:51.472-07:002019-08-30T14:45:51.472-07:00your reconstruction of a teratornis pair reminds m...your reconstruction of a teratornis pair reminds me of the caracara I've seen in a documentairy of the Falklands Islands. Very oppertunistic predatory birds, that hopped and strut around much more then the used their Wings. Think they took pinguïns younsters as large as themselves, but mainly by sneaky corporation.<br />So teratorn as a giant-sized Caracara?p.kersbergenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08437108874481004342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-87344680975464367952019-08-30T12:15:49.001-07:002019-08-30T12:15:49.001-07:00If 6 m is really the upper limit, is Argentavis re...If 6 m is really the upper limit, is Argentavis really the largest teratorn? I recall Aiolornis was estimated as having a 5 m wingspan, which at least puts them in the same category.Devin Adlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05225677638987217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-50296288219440639562019-08-30T11:47:50.577-07:002019-08-30T11:47:50.577-07:00Question: would any known teratorn species be as t...Question: would any known teratorn species be as terrestrial-adapted as secretary birds? (I know there was an eagle in Pleistocene North America called Daggett's walking eagle that was somewhat secretary bird-like.)Pelagornishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08702848896692862732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653345901774701895.post-68612326196185628352019-08-30T05:01:58.950-07:002019-08-30T05:01:58.950-07:00"imbue"?
Otherwise, a really helpful ov..."imbue"?<br /><br />Otherwise, a really helpful overview — thank you!Mike Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06039663158335543317noreply@blogger.com