Posted on 09/21/2010 6:34:19 PM PDT by Inappropriate Laughter
The wandering albatross has the largest known wingspan of any living bird, at times reaching nearly 12 feet. But millions of years ago, there was a bird with wings that dwarfed those of the albatross, researchers now report.
The newly named species, Pelagornis chilensis, which lived about 5 million to 10 million years ago, had a wingspan of at least 17 feet.
This is the largest wingspan known in any bird. Although other, larger estimates have been made, they were based on fossils of feathers, and not on an intact skeleton, as in this case. The report is in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Another intriguing characteristic of the bird is its long, bony beak with sharp, teethlike projections. “These were used to catch prey,” said Gerald Mayr, the study’s lead author and a zoologist at the Senckenberg museum and research institute in Frankfurt. “They probably flew down close to the water’s surface and kept their lower jaw open to catch slippery prey like squirrel fish.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I’m just not sure that comparing 12 ft. to 17 ft. counts as getting “dwarfed”.
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Makes you wonder just when the epiphany struck.
The NYT blows it again...
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