Phorusrhacos 2552781 226073726 2008-07-16T18:36:29Z FunkMonk 4280259 /* In Popular Culture */ {{Taxobox | name = ''Phorusrhacos'' | fossil_range = [[Early Miocene]] - Mid [[Miocene]]<!-- Phorusrhacos died out during the Miocene: if it did not, PROVIDE SOURCES THAT SAID IT DID NOT --> | image = Phororhacos.jpg | image_width = 200px | image_caption = Drawing of ''Phorusrhacos'' by [[Charles R. Knight]] | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Gruiformes]] | familia = [[Phorusrhacidae]] | genus = '''''Phorusrhacos''''' | genus_authority = [[Florentino Ameghino|Ameghino]], [[1887]] | species = '''''P. longissimus''''' | binomial = ''Phorusrhacos longissimus'' | binomial_authority = Ameghino, 1887 | synonyms = ''see text'' }} [[Image:PhorusrhacosLongissimus-Skull-BackgroundKnockedOut-ROM-Dec29-07.png|thumb|right|Skull of a Phorusrhacos longissimus. on display at the [[Royal Ontario Museum]], Toronto.]] '''''Phorusrhacos''''' (pronounced "FOR-rus-RAH-kos") ("Rag-Bearer") was a [[genus]] of giant flightless [[predator]]y [[bird]]s that lived in [[Patagonia]], containing the single [[species]] '''''Phorusrhacos longissimus'''''. Their closest living relatives are [[Seriema]] birds. It was much larger than the seriemas, however, and looked more like an [[ostrich]] in appearance. These fierce birds lived in [[woodlands]] and [[grasslands]]. Among the bones found in the stratum of the [[Santa Cruz Formation]] (now considered as mainly of mid-[[Miocene]] date) was the piece of a mandible which [[Florentino Ameghino]] (1887) at first described as that of an [[edentate]] [[mammal]]. In [[1891]], it was recognized to be a bird. Remains are known from several localities in the [[Santa Cruz Province (Argentina)|Santa Cruz Province]], of Argentina. ''Phorusrhacos'' stood around 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall and weighed approximately 130 kilograms (280 lbs) (Alvarenga & Höfling, 2003). It was nicknamed the "Terror Bird" for obvious reasons: it was one of the largest [[carnivore|carnivorous]] birds to have ever existed, and its rudimentary wings formed arm-like structures with claws shaped like a [[meathook]] for tackling prey, which was then killed with the massive beak. It ate small mammals and [[carrion]]. It is thought{{who}} that the bird grasped its prey with its beak and smashed it to the ground repeatedly like its modern relatives, the [[Seriema]]s. It had an enormous skull up to sixty centimeters long, armed with a powerful, hook-tipped beak. The structure of the beak and the large claws on the toes show that this was a [[bird of prey]]. It raced over the grassy plateaus and hills of [[Patagonia]], catching small [[reptiles]] and [[mammals]]. ==Synonyms== ''Phorusrhacos longissimus'' and its genus have been described under a number of [[synonym (zoology)|synonyms]]: Genus-level synonymy: * ''Phorusrhacos'' <small>[[Florentino Ameghino|Ameghino]], [[1887]]</small> (see Anonymous, 1992) * ''Phororhacos'' <small>Ameghino, [[1889]]</small> * ''[[Mesembriornis]]'' <small>[[Francisco Moreno|Moreno]], [[1889]]</small> * ''Stereornis'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, [[1891]]</small> * ''Darwinornis'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Owenornis'' <small>[[Francisco Moreno|Moreno]] & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Titanornis'' <small>Mercerat, [[1893]]</small> * ''Callornis'' <small>Ameghino, [[1895]]</small> * ''Liornis'' <small>Ameghino, 1895</small> * ''Eucallornis'' <small>Ameghino, [[1901]]</small> * The name is commonly misspelled "Phorusrhacus". Species-level synonymy: * ''Phororhacos longissimus'' <small>Ameghino, 1889</small> * ''Stereornis rollieri'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Stereornis gaundryi'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Mesembriornis studeri'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Mesembriornis quatrefragesi'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Darwinornis copei'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Darwinornis zittelli'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Darwinornis socialis'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Owenornis affinis'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Owenornis lydekkeri'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat, 1891</small> * ''Phororhacos sehuensis'' <small>Ameghino, 1891</small> * ''Phororhacos platygnathus'' <small>Ameghino, 1891</small> * ''Titanornis mirabilis'' <small>Mercerat, 1893</small> * ''Callornis giganteus'' <small>Ameghino, 1895</small> * ''Liornis floweri'' <small>Ameghino, 1895</small> * ''Eucallornis giganteus'' <small>Ameghino, 1901</small> * ''Liornis minor'' <small>Dolgopol de Saez, 1927</small> The species ''Phororhacos inflatus'', however, has been re-classified into the genus ''[[Patagornis]]''. == In Popular Culture == [[Image:Phorusrhacos longissimus.jpg|thumb|''Phorusrhacos longissimus'']] *A [[stop motion]] ''Phorusrhacos'' under the synonym "Phororhacos" attacks the ship/balloon wreck survivors' camp in the film [[Mysterious Island (1961 film)]]. *"Terror Bird" is one of the monsters featured in the [[D&D]] assessory ''Fiend Folio'' (2003). *''Phorusrhacos'' was also featured in the CGI series ''[[Walking with Beasts]]'' and in the series ''[[Prehistoric Park]]''. In the ''[[Walking with Beasts]]'' episode "Sabre-tooth", it is claimed that the phorusrhacids were displaced and eventually became extinct due to competition with [[sabre-toothed cat]]s immigrating from [[North America]], in spite of the fact that the [[Great American Interchange|Great Faunal Interchange]] took place during the [[Pliocene]], well after ''Phorusrhacos''<nowiki>'</nowiki> extinction during the Miocene (20 million years ago). The species portrayed is ''[[Titanis]]'', which, according to the series, is a member of the genus ''Phorusrhacos''; hence the confusion.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/475.shtml BBC - Science & Nature - Wildfacts - Phorusrhacos<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *"Phorusrhacos" is a type of monster in the [[MMORPG]] [[Final Fantasy XI]].<ref>[http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacos FFXIclopedia - Phorushacos<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *A hunting pair of "Terror Birds" are hunted and killed by the character [[Odysseus]] in [[Dan Simmons]]' book [[Ilium/Olympos|Ilium]] and later identified as ''Phorusrhacos'' by the character Savi.<ref>Simmons, D: ''Ilium'', New York: Harper Torch ISBN 0-380-81792-6</ref> *Phorusrachos is mentioned in ''The Lost World'' novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, described in appearance as an 'ostritch with the head of a vulture' and with a beak sharp enough to cleave a slice of rubber off of Professor Challenger's boot. *A specimen of the bird chases (but does not catch, as a boat is very near) one of the boys of [[Karel Zeman]]'s ''[[Journey to the Beginning of Time|Cesta do pravěku]]'' (1955) where it is called ''Phororhacos''. *Also featured in the movie ''[[10,000_BC_(film)|10,000 BC]]'' (2008) ==Footnotes== {{refs}} ==References==<!-- AmMusNovit2326:1 --> *{{1911}} * Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth (2003): ''Systematic revision of the Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes)''. ''Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia'' '''43'''(4): 55-91 [http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&pid=S0031-10492003000400001&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en PDF fulltext] * Ameghino, Florentino (1887): Enumeración sistemática de las espécies de mamíferos fósiles coleccionados por Carlos Ameghino en los terrenos Eocenos de la Patagonia austral y depositados en el Museo de La Plata. ''Boletin del Museo de La Plata'' '''1''': 1-26. [Article in Spanish]<!-- journal title could be "Notas...", not Boletin. --> * Ameghino, Florentino (1889): Contribución al conocimiento de los mamíferos fósiles de la República Argentina. ''Actas Academia Nacional Ciencias de Córdoba'' '''6''': 1-1028. [Article in Spanish] * Anonymous (1992): Opinion 1687. ''Phorusrhacos'' Ameghino, 1887 (Aves, Gruiformes): not suppressed. ''Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature'' '''49'''(2)<!-- page numbers missing --> [[Category:Extinct flightless birds]] [[category:genera of birds]] [[Category:Miocene birds]] [[Category:Phorusrhacinae]] [[Category:Pleistocene extinctions]] [[ca:Phorusrhacos]] [[da:Phorusrhacos]] [[de:Phorusrhacos longissimus]] [[es:Phorusrhacos]] [[fr:Phorusrhacos]] [[it:Phorusrhacos longissimus]] [[ka:ფორორაკოსი]] [[hu:Phororhacos]] [[nl:Phorusrhacos]] [[ja:フォルスラコス]] [[fi:Phorusrhacos]] [[sv:Phorusrhacos longissimus]] [[zh:恐鶴]]