Paraphysornis

Paraphysornis; Temporal range: Late Oligocene-Early Miocene (Deseadan); ~23 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Reconstructed skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cariamiformes
Family:	†Phorusrhacidae
Subfamily:	†Brontornithinae
Genus:	†Paraphysornis; Alvarenga, 1993
Type species
	†Paraphysornis brasiliensis; Alvarenga, 1982
Synonyms
	Physornis brasiliensis Alvarenga, 1982;

Paraphysornis is an extinct genus of giant flightless terror birds that inhabited Brazil during Late Oligocene or Early Miocene epochs.^[1]

Description[]

Life reconstruction

Paraphysornis was 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) tall and weighed approximately 180 kilograms (400 lb). It was calculated at having been around 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) high at the back.^[2] Like Brontornis, Paraphysornis is more massively built than other phorusrhacids and has a shorter and stouter tarsometatarsus, which indicates less cursorial and possibly carrion-feeding habits.^[3]

Discovery[]

The nearly complete (%75) skeleton of one specimen (DGM-1418-R) recovered from the of the . The specimen only lacks most of the upper maxilla, braincase, pelvis and sternum.^[2] In the Museum of Natural History of Taubaté is exposed the almost complete skeleton of Paraphysornis found in 1982 by Herculano Alvarenga.

References[]

^ "Paraphysornis brasiliensis". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth (2003). "Systematic revision of the Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 43 (4): 55–91. doi:10.1590/S0031-10492003000400001.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Mayr, Gerald (2016). Avian Evolution: The Fossil Record of Birds and its Paleobiological Significance (1 ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. p. 192. ISBN 978-1119020769. Retrieved 2 April 2020.

Paraphysornis

Contents

Description[]

Discovery[]

References[]

Further reading[]