Ornimegalonyx
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Ornimegalonyx oteroi Arredondo, 1954 |
The Cuban Giant Owl or Giant Cursorial Owl (Ornimegalonyx oteroi) is a giant, extinct species of owl, their closest extant cousins being the wood owls[citation needed]. It is believed to be the largest owl that ever existed. They lived on the island of Cuba. When the first specimen was described in the 1950s, the bones were so large that they were described as belonging to a bird in the family Phorusrhacidae. In 1961, Pierce Brodkorb reviewed the findings and placed them properly, with the owls. Remains have been abundant throughout the island, in cave deposits from the Late Pleistocene period (10,000s of years ago) and at least three nearly complete skeletons have been found.
Since then, it has been suggested that there were three subspecies of this bird which were at least in parr initially assumed to be distinct species. "Ornimegalonyx arredondoi" is a nomen nudum; the name was proposed for this species before it was described but oteroi was eventually adopted by Oscar Arredondo (according to the rules of the ICZN, personally naming a species after one's self is greatly frowned upon).
This owl, reconstructed, is believed to have been at least 1 m (3.3 feet) tall and probably easily exceeded 9 kg (20 lb). It had very long legs for it's size, but was bulky overall and probably short-tailed. The modern owl who probably most resembles the Giant Cursorial Owl is actually the dainty Burrowing Owl, the only surviving owl closely tied to the ground; this does not imply a close relationship however, but similar adaptations to the terrestrial lifestyle.
The legs and feet of the Giant Cursorial Owl appear to be very large and powerfully built. This supports the theory that they were strong runners, hence the title of cursorial. The keel of the sternum was reduced (if the keel were absent flight would have been impossible) and the owl may have been capable of short burst of flight. It is probably that, like a modern wild turkey, the owl only took flight when extremely pressed, more likely choosing to run when needed.
The Giant Cursorial Owl is believed to have preyed on principally on large rodents (along the lines of the modern Nutria or Capybara) and other medium-sized mammals (such as small ground sloths). It was probably an ambush predator that would pounch on unexpecting prey, using their crushing talons. Nothing about the life history of these owls is really known, although they more than likely laid a small clutch and had a long life-expectancy, based on their size.
