US Fossil Dig May Have Uncovered Largest Bird Ever Found
- 10 years ago
A fossil that was dug up during the expansion of South Carolina’s Charleston airport has been declared as belonging to the largest flying seabird ever known.
A fossil that was dug up during the expansion of South Carolina’s Charleston International Airport has been declared as belonging to the largest flying bird ever known.
The dig was back in 1983 but scientists just recently realized what an important find the bird bones are.
Using the pieces uncovered, a skull, wingbones, a leg, and a shoulder blade, researchers estimated that the wing bones, of the creature was somewhere around 21 feet.
That’s twice the reach of the royal albatross, the largest bird flying the skies today.
It also challenges that the previous all-time title holder, the six-million-year-old Argentavis Magnificens.
The recent discovery also predates it, having lived about 25 million years ago.
At that time, the area we now know as South Carolina was covered with water, and it’s guessed that the bird died at sea.
Despite what its eventual undoing implies, it was believed to be quite a powerful flier, able to coast for miles without flapping its enormous wings.
It probably took a running start to get some air beneath its wings, much like the way hang gliders do today.
A fossil that was dug up during the expansion of South Carolina’s Charleston International Airport has been declared as belonging to the largest flying bird ever known.
The dig was back in 1983 but scientists just recently realized what an important find the bird bones are.
Using the pieces uncovered, a skull, wingbones, a leg, and a shoulder blade, researchers estimated that the wing bones, of the creature was somewhere around 21 feet.
That’s twice the reach of the royal albatross, the largest bird flying the skies today.
It also challenges that the previous all-time title holder, the six-million-year-old Argentavis Magnificens.
The recent discovery also predates it, having lived about 25 million years ago.
At that time, the area we now know as South Carolina was covered with water, and it’s guessed that the bird died at sea.
Despite what its eventual undoing implies, it was believed to be quite a powerful flier, able to coast for miles without flapping its enormous wings.
It probably took a running start to get some air beneath its wings, much like the way hang gliders do today.