These monster birds (Teratorn is Greek for just that, "monster . Guadalupe Cantu III was busy working his newspaper route, but he says the big news of that day 10 years ago flew right over his car. A good example might be the Spix Macaw. Pterosaur: This is the primary theory. Argentavis magnificens, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known from three sites in the Epecun and Andalhual Formations in central and northwestern Argentina dating to the Late Miocene (Huayquerian), where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. Science, the Western response to mystery, largely ignores the sightings of giant birds and other cryptids that pop up more or less worldwide. regression analyses or comparisons with the California condor. Fort Bend County Pct. The single known humerus (upper arm bone) specimen of Argentavis is somewhat damaged. megafauna) and that the species have limped along after food became more scarce. Your email address will not be published. Teratorns are members of Teratornithidae, a highly diversified guild of large carnivorous flying birds that lived between 25 million and 12,000 years ago. Just to wing it. When hunting actively, A. magnificens would probably have swooped from high above onto their prey, which they usually would have been able to grab, kill, and swallow without landing. I say Birds of Prey because I am very familiar with eagles, hawks and falcons, etc. I believe it lived on the lake. The bill was large, rather slender, and had a hooked tip with a wide gape. [12] Taking into account the strong legs, stout claws, and a gripping power not quite as developed as in eagles, it is rather likely that Merriam's Teratorn would have hunted for aquatic prey in the manner of an osprey, which also provides a reasonable explanation of how such large numbers of powerful, well-flying birds could have become stuck in the asphalt. It left no evidence of its existence and there have been no new sightings since the 1970s. Over a hundred specimens have been found, mostly from the La Brea Tar Pits. This species seems less aerodynamically suited for predation than its relatives. When will we see a cool down? About 20-30 miles from San Antonio in northern Atascosa County. We take the open-minded perspective: A few species of pterosaurs appear to be still be living, albeit they seem to be mostly nocturnal and rare. [6] For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the wandering albatross, averaging 3m (9ft 10in) and spanning up to 3.7m (12ft 2in). commented Jessica Coleman. . [8], The finger bones of the Teratornis were fused as in all modern birds; however, part of the index finger forms a shelf which aided in bearing the load of long and stout primaries, enabling the bird to utilize strong upcurrents in flight. Look at the tallest man in the world. The largest flying creatures overall that are known to have existed are not birds, but instead distantly-related archosaurs, namely the azhdarchid pterosaurs of the Cretaceous. Teratorns are members of Teratornithidae, a highly diversified guild of large carnivorous flying birds that lived between 25 million and 12,000 years ago. It appears likely, therefore, that the average and maximum age reached by these creatures was fairly large possibly some 50-100 years; compare with ostrich at perhaps 60-70, and parrots at perhaps 80-120 at most if they were to mature and reproduce and replace members that had died young for whatever reason. [3], On the other hand, their flight was similar to that of condors. Studies on condor flight indicate that Argentavis was fully capable of flight in normal conditions as modern large soaring birds spend very little time flapping their wings regardless of environment. . A trapper caught up to him about 60 yards north of Buffalo Bayou, according to Norvell. Canceled | Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. the thunderbird closely resembles a family of bird called the Teratorn that existed between the Miocene and Pleistocene periods. I actually think folks are seeing either a Golden Eagle, a Vulture or a Condor (the condor being the least likely, although not impossible) All three of those birds can have wingspans up to 15' but on average around 12'. Teratorns - The Monster Birds 188,577 views May 10, 2020 7.8K Dislike Share Save Ben G Thomas 543K subscribers Millions of years ago giant birds of prey ruled the Americas - the Teratorns.. Brittney Griner surprises fans at MLK Day fest, 'Absolutely': Why Sean Payton is open to taking Texans HC job, New Texas cruise terminal now serving the worlds largest ships, What C.J. [11] Meanwhile, the sarus crane is the tallest flying bird alive, at up to 1.8m (5ft 11in) tall, standing about as high as Argentavis due to its long legs and neck. He saw the featherless long-tailed flying creature in Crestview, Florida, at 11:45 a.m., on November 14, 2012, and reported the encounter to Jonathan Whitcomb. This is when the Teratorn flew the skies of North America. Another video from Michael Schwab, a witness in the area, shows the gator being lifted off the ground using a tow truck. A large number of fossil and subfossil bones, representing more than 100 individuals, have been found in locations in California, Oregon, southern Nevada, Arizona, and Florida, though most are from the Californian La Brea Tar Pits. However, they may too have lain in wait from a ground position, which would render them likely grounded until heavy winds allowed them to fly. Alisha Kegley Pate, who submitted a report to AMS, captured the meteor going down in flames as it entered Earth's atmosphere while she was filming frogs croaking at her ranch in Frelsburg, Texas. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. Alternative viewpoints note that many old world vultures possess large bills, and a longer bill is a common feature among scavenging raptors, as this allow them to probe deeper into large carcasses - larger than those fed upon by active-hunting raptors. For news updates, follow Chaz Miller on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Residents strolling through a Cinco Ranch neighborhood Monday morning were joined by an unexpected guest -- an 11-foot long alligator. Another example might be the Spotted Owl. It was the subject of jokes and concern. I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. As a rule of thumb, a wing loading of 25kg/m2 is considered the limit for avian flight. A map from the nonprofit scientific organization shows the . I think it would be safe to assume that the Teratorn would have similar slow and unpredictable breeding habits. [10][11] For the T.merriami, small prey such as frogs, lizards, young birds, and rodents were swallowed whole, while carrion would have been fed on in a manner similar to that of condors or vultures. Whatever it looks like, if you ever find livestock with odd punctures and drained of blood, you can add the chupacabra to your list of suspects. Fort Bend County Pct. I remember trying to research the phenomenon at the time I originally received the stories, and not finding much. Its a little late. I had just about convinced myself it was in my head till I read this. Climate considerations make it likely that the birds incubated over the winter, mates exchanging duties of incubating and procuring food every few days, and that the young were independent after some 16 months, but not fully mature until aged about a dozen years. I had spent countless hours as a child studying dinosaurs and playing with dinosaur models. Which of them scares you the most? If the thunderbird were the giant extinct teratorn Argentavis, this is how it would compare in size with a human [with illustration], Legal terms and conditions for using this site, Why a pterodactyl sighting should be reported. yes! Some thought it may have been a shooting star or even leftover fireworks. After about 2 or 3 minutes of this, it spread its massive wings (at least 15 ft. wingspan) and flew off in the opposite direction. Does San Antonio have one, too? Have people really seen this. It has been estimated that the minimal velocity for the wing of A. magnificens is about 11 m/s or 40km/h. I think I saw this mentioned on the news. [6][7] Argentavis had an estimated height when standing on the ground that was roughly equivalent to that of a person, at 1.5 to 1.8m (4ft 11in to 5ft 11in), furthermore its total length (from bill tip to tail tip) was approximately 3.5m (11ft 6in). Last week while walking from the garage to the house I saw another one. It . Smacks of a possible Mothman type sighting. A giant fireball was seen shooting across the Texas sky Tuesday night, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul touring new mezcal around Houston, Watch: Houston drivers destroy their cars on popular bar's ramp, Houston facing storms, return to typical winter weather this week, After 147 years, this Houston-area ranch is available to buy, Activists call for Houston taqueria shooter to be charged, Alperen Sengun breaks records held by Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq. At one time, wingspans have been published for the species up to 7.5 to 8m (24ft 7in to 26ft 3in) but more recent estimates put the wingspan more likely in the range of 5.09 to 6.5m (16ft 8in to 21ft 4in). I stared at the back part of the head because it was exactly like the ones depicted in books. So, what about, With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, were here for it. ABC 13's chief meteorologist Travis Herzog also received reports of the sighting and asked his followers on Facebook to share footage they captured of the unusually bright meteor and submit their first-person accounts to the AMS. The study of hidden or unclassified animals---that is cryptozoology. wrote Sarah Jane Zamora-Rivera from Gonzales, Texas. If the thunderbird were the giant extinct teratorn Argentavis, this is how it would compare in size with a human [with illustration] The largest known flying creatures are a group of pterosaurs named azhdarchids, extinct flying animals that existed during the age of the dinosaurs and died out at the end of the Cretaceous. a large animal took off into the air. Whether this span could have reached 7m (23ft 0in) appears uncertain per modern authorities. Many Teratorn bone samples contributing to modern research have been found at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. it was a dinosaur. The eyewitness was traveling from Texas to Vermont. However, Spanish-speaking areas seem to see more goat-sucking action. Another form, "Teratornis" olsoni, was described from the Pleistocene of Cuba, but its affinities are not completely resolved; it might not be a teratorn, but has also been placed in its own genus, Oscaravis. This condor can weigh up to 15kg (33lb). In addition, Peter Beach, a biology professor, has searched for bioluminescent pterosaurs that may be flying regularly over a river in Washington state. I was only 17 at the time. One would delta-back the wings and dive for about five thousand feet before pulling-up and joining the group. Well, there are many species that we haven't even found yet and species that we think are extinct but could be still living to this day. More recently, extraordinarily large birds have been sighted in the Dona Ana Mountains. Might scientists find previously unknown species of birds? Only the last species lives in the United States; other large U.S. birds include bald eagles and golden eagles. They stayed around for about 45 55 minutes, then just drifted south until we werent able to focus on them any longer. These magnificent animals were doing that in a playful way. It was cloudy and the sky was all orange so all I saw was the shape, but it was the same size because the wing span was about my height. Merriam's Teratorn probably played an important role in opening up the body cavities of carcasses for smaller birds like eagles and ravens which are also known to have frequented the locality, as mammalian predators-- being unable to fly-- could hardly reach most carcasses without getting mired in the asphalt themselves. Since they cannot to date be physically traced or proven, biologists and zoologists scoff at the idea that, for instance, a teratorn species could have survived for the past 10,000 years without our . Have you ever seen a gator be lifted off the ground by a tow truck? Are there any mythical creatures in New Mexico? I shot at it with a 22 rifle. I was about 14 years old. Sign up for a new account in our community. Brandie is a freelance writer and digital media strategist. The AMS received video footage from Ring doorbells and dash cameras that show the extremely bright fireball traveling rapidly toward earth. Scientists are watching them die out and believe there to only be 30 or so left in the wild, but like the Spix, several breeding pairs are in captivity. Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. With wingspans of greater than twenty feet, the Thunderbird is larger than any avian that has existed for 10,000 years. I went to my knees so that it would not see me. It was a very well lit area and it just landed and it looked like its head was turned like an owls. To: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: WWW Form SubmissionDate: Sunday, May 07, 2006 11:10 PMName: LupeEmail: LITTLElulu17@aol.comLocation: Amarillo Texas. There are known cases of one or two rare birds that are spotted and ornithologists have watched these species die out. With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, were here for it. In an update posted to Twitter, Norvell said the gator had been safely caught and relocated to Gator Country near Beaumont. There is a lot of area in the Texas hill country around San Antonio like the Devil's Backbone up by San Marcos ,Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and other places for a large bird to live,with only catlle ranchers or sheep and goat ranches around but few homes. Updating the True Ghost Stories Page recently, I once again came across several reports of huge birds that I received around 2006. Thunderbird: Open to speculation because these birds, most often sighted from Pennsylvania to the northern Midwest, have been said to resemble teratorns and pterodactyls. she didnt say anything until later that evening at v.f.w. They need huge hunting grounds and are extremely territorial. One of the gators was wrangled single-handedly by a local restaurant owner after he dropped his kids off at school. October 4, 2014-New Florence, PA-Unknown Giant Bird 15 Feet Over Car It was during the late afternoon when the witness traveling on a rural road about 2 miles from the New Florence power generating station was startled when a huge bird passed about 15 feet over the top of his vehicle. Unexplained-Mysteries.com It stood about 75 cm (29.5 in) tall with estimated wingspan of perhaps 3.5 to 3.8 metres (11.5 to 12.5 ft), and its weight has been estimated within the range of 12.5-15.0 kg with 95% confidence; making it about a third bigger than extant condors. Now you have! Residents At Myrtle Beach Report Encountering A Massive Bird Carrying A Shark 245,617 views Jul 2, 2020 Residents at Myrtle Beach report encountering a massive bird carrying a shark. 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