Discover the fossil of the largest bird of all time

Scientists at the American Center for Evolutionary Research have reported that fossil bone fragments found by a bird in the state of South Carolina (USA) show that this is the largest bird of all time.

According to research published by this group of scientists in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the ancient bird has the scientific name Pelagornis sanderi , it has wingspan of about 6.06m to 7, 38m, double the largest seabirds today are seagulls, and cross the wingspan of 6.4m of Argentavis magnificens, the bird shaped like a vulture in South America about 6 million years ago.

The wingspan of this bird is twice that of the largest seabirds today.(Source: slate.com)

The wingspan of P. sanderi is so big that scientists speculate that birds that once dominated the ancient ocean sky 25 - 28 million years ago must run from the hill or take advantage of very strong winds. Can take off. However, once released into the air, P.sanderi can throw many miles without flapping wings, an advantage in finding food in a large area like the ocean.

Along with the giant wings, P. sanderi also possesses a long beak and hard, sharp, toothless teeth used to pierce prey including fish and squid that live near the surface of the water.

This extinct bird may have been the ancestor of the famous Pelagornithid seabirds with unleavened teeth that completely disappeared 2.5 million years ago. The bones, legs and skull are the first fossil parts of P. sanderi found in 1983 near the town of Charleston, South Carolina when people began to build a new international airport.

This fossil helped shed some light on the ability of the giant birds to fly, but also caused scientists to question the cause of bird extinction that lived on all seven continents. ancient.