Gigantic Mesozoic bird found!

Adam Khor · 10-08-2011 12:34am #1

Ok, there's only a toothless jaw, but it has been identified as belonging to a HUGE bird. Paleontologists say that it could have been a flying bird, in which case it may have had a wingspan of around four meters- if it was flightless, though, it may have been three meters tall. A giant one way or the other.

This, they say, proves that birds during the Mesozoic weren´t all diminutive and that they were much more diverse than we thought. The creature is called Samrukia, and it lived during the Late Cretaceous (83 million years ago) in Central Asia, along with ankylosaurs, tyrannosaurs and other saurs.

Galvasean · 10-08-2011 2:00am

Hmm, looks like Thomas Huxley was right all along..

Adam Khor · 10-08-2011 2:34am

First drawing ever of the bird! (Not counting the silouettes above XD)

Galvasean · 10-08-2011 1:41pm

Quick off the mark eh? Nice.

Since it's based on such scarce remains I wonder if it is actually a bird as we know it. I'm sure if you travelled back to the Cretaceous you would see many dino-bird things which could be either or.

Adam Khor · 10-08-2011 5:43pm

Galvasean wrote: »

Quick off the mark eh? Nice.

Since it's based on such scarce remains I wonder if it is actually a bird as we know it. I'm sure if you travelled back to the Cretaceous you would see many dino-bird things which could be either or.

Yes, I agree. But the concept of a giant bird flying around is way to awesome to waste

Rubecula · 10-08-2011 7:01pm

Can you get it Southern Fried?:D

(Thinking of my food again, sorry)

Impressive sketch by the way, very impressive indeed.

Adam Khor · 10-08-2011 7:15pm

Rubecula wrote: »

Can you get it Southern Fried?:D

(Thinking of my food again, sorry)

Impressive sketch by the way, very impressive indeed.

Thanks :>

Adam Khor · 20-11-2011 8:49pm

Bad news folks... seems that Samrukia has been reinterpreted as a pterosaur, instead of a giant bird.

Oh well... it doesn´t rule out the possibility of such creatures existing anyways :cool:

Galvasean · 21-11-2011 1:08pm

Shame. A large pterosaur is somewhat less exciting by comparison..

Adam Khor · 21-11-2011 10:34pm

Galvasean wrote: »

Shame. A large pterosaur is somewhat less exciting by comparison..

Yes, not that pterosaurs are any less fascinating, but... we already had many large pteros and very few giant birds...

Gigantic Mesozoic bird found!

Comments