Bullockornis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bullockornis Fossil range: Middle Miocene |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Two statues of Bullockornis, Western Power Park in Perth.
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Bullockornis planei P. Rich, 1979 |
Bullockornis, nicknamed the Demon Duck of Doom, is an extinct flightless bird that appeared to have lived in the Middle Miocene, approximately 15 million years ago, in what is now Australia.
Bullockornis stood approximately 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall. It may have weighed up to 250 kg (550 lb). Features of Bullockornis's skull, including a very large beak designed for shearing, indicate that the bird may have been carnivorous. The bird's skull is larger than that of many small horses.[1] Many paleontologists, including Peter Murray of the Central Australian Museum, believe that Bullockornis was related to geese and ducks. This, in addition to the bird's tremendous size and possible carnivorous habits, gave rise to its colourful nickname. The bird's generic name is translated as "ox-bird."[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perrenial, 102. ISBN 0-06-055804-0.
- Rich, P. (1979): The Dromornithidae, an extinct family of large ground birds endemic to Australia. Bureau of National Resources, Geology and Geophysics Bulletin 184: 1–196.
[edit] External links
- Australia's Lost Kingdoms - Late Miocene period - Big Birds
- The Bird from Hell?
- 'Thunder Birds' - The Family Dromornithidae
- Giant duck a flesh eater
 |
This prehistoric bird article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
