Andalgalornis

Name: Andalgalornis
Phonetic: An-dal-gal-or-niss.
Named By: Patterson‭ & ‬Kraglievich‭ ‬-‭ ‬1960.
Synonyms: Andalgalornis ferox,‭ ‬Phorohacos deautieri,‭ ‬Phororhacos deautieri,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬steulleti.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Cariamae,‭ ‬Phorusrhacidae,‭ ‬Patagornithinae.
Species: A.‭ ‬steulleti‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Up to‭ ‬1.4‭ ‬meters tall. Skull 37 centimetres long.
Known locations: Argentina.
Time period: Late Miocene to Early Pliocene.
Fossil representation: Several specimens.

       Andalgalornis has a more gracile build than many other South American‭ ‘‬terror birds‭’‬ and this lightweight build is also reflected in the skull and beak.‭ ‬In depth analysis suggests that the beak was strongest when subjected to stresses from below rather than the sides.‭ ‬This meant that gripping and holding large prey was a risky business for Andalgalornis,‭ ‬but it does support two long held theories about how terror birds hunted and dispatched their prey.‭ ‬One is to focus upon smaller prey that could be easily killed by picking it up and throwing it hard against the ground and then swallowing the animal.‭ ‬The second is that the hook tip of the beak was used to strike down onto a preys‭’‬ skull to cause a mortal injury that would result in a quick death for the prey.

Further reading
- Mechanical Analysis of Feeding Behavior in the Extinct "Terror Bird" Andalgalornis steulleti (Gruiformes: Phorusrhacidae). - PLoS ONE. 5 (8): e11856. - F. J. Degrange, C. P. Tambussi, K. Moreno, L. M. Witmer & S. Wroe - 2010.
- Flexibility along the Neck of the Neogene Terror Bird Andalgalornis steulleti (Aves Phorusrhacidae). - PLoS ONE. 7 (5): e37701. - C. P. Tambussi, R. De Mendoza, F. J. Degrange & M. B. Picasso [Alistair Robert Evans, ed.] - 2012.

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