Ancient 'terror bird' used powerful beak to jab like an agile boxer
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 18:56
in Paleontology & Archaeology
The ancient "terror bird" Andalgalornis couldn't fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull—coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak—for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali. The agile creature repeatedly attacked and retreated, landing well-targeted, hatchet-like jabs to take down its prey, according to a new study published this week in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE by an international team of scientists.