[7], The T. merriami was similar to condors, although an analysis of the functional morphology of its skull, namely its larger bill and ability to spread its mandibles and swallow its prey whole, suggests that it was an active and carnivorous predator rather than a scavenger. Argentavis magnificens (literally magnificent Argentine bird) is the largest flying bird ever discovered. Mothman: Rejected mainly because the descriptions are too different and this creatures sightings were limited to West Virginia. [3][14], "Flight performance of the largest volant bird", "Biggest Flying Seabird Had 21-Foot Wingspan, Scientists Say", "On the Size and Flight Diversity of Giant Pterosaurs, the Use of Birds as Pterosaur Analogues and Comments on Pterosaur Flightlessness", "Ecological and reproductive constraints of body size in the gigantic, "Hay un lmite para el tamao corporal en las aves voladoras? Most witnesses described this unknown mysterious animal, UMA, as about five feet tall, featherless and having a long beak, bat-like wings and a simian face. Scientists are watching them die out and believe there to only be 30 or so left in the wild, but like the Spix, several breeding pairs are in captivity. Here are some of the original stories I received on this topic: To: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: WWW Form SubmissionDate: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:16 PMName: Arturo PerezEmail: hedorah_85@yahoo.comLocation: Eagle Pass, Texas. The species would've required about 2.5 to 5kg (5.5 to 11.0lb) of meat each day. They seemed to be just having a meeting. If you shop through our affiliate links, at no cost to you, we will receive a small commission and we will be very thankful to you for that! I shot at it with a 22 rifle. Studies on condor flight indicate that Argentavis was fully capable of flight in normal conditions as modern large soaring birds spend very little time flapping their wings regardless of environment. Not kill it. Since they cannot to date be physically traced or proven, biologists and zoologists scoff at the idea that, for instance, a teratorn species could have survived for the past 10,000 years without our . The American Meteor Society (AMS) said it received 146 reports about a fireball seen over Texas and Oklahoma around 6:45 p.m. CT Tuesday. Daily updates on UFO sightings, ghost encounters, conspiracies, mysterious phenomena and everything crazy and weird. Some of the more infamously weird New Mexico animals (and insects) include ones we can hardly see unless were looking for them, like the tiny-but-weird Socorro isopod. I agree that the man may have exaggerated his story after seeing something like a condor or vulture. We talked about it but no one had an explanation for what we saw. Is it a monster or myth? Scientific Name Teratornis merriami Description A large, extinct bird of prey with a wingspan between 11-12 feet. It was among the largest flying birds ever to exist. . Of course, nobody believed me when I got home, but I know what I saw. Another form, "Teratornis" olsoni, was described from the Pleistocene of Cuba, but its affinities are not completely resolved; it might not be a teratorn, but has also been placed in its own genus, Oscaravis. They were the first flying reptiles and had vertebrae. Although its legs were strong enough to provide it with a running or jumping start, the wings were simply too long to flap effectively until the bird was some height off the ground. Additionally, it might have been the color of ashes. Driving a car may be the most common human activity during a sighting, but water activities, including fishing and boating, keep coming up in the reports. This condor can weigh up to 15kg (33lb). Argentavis magnificens ("magnificent Argentine bird", or more literally "magnificent silver bird") is one of the largest flying birds ever known, possibly surpassed in wingspan only by the recently discovered Pelagornis sandersi. Unexplained-Mysteries.com So, what about mythical creatures in New Mexico? bingo she was with the wife of the chief of police and their friends. I happen to be a bit of a Mothman enthusiast after I saw the film The Mothman Prophecies and the Mothman is often seen to be a banshee type figure, i.e appears in an area before a major disaster. No legend here. Pterosaur: This is the primary theory. Does San Antonio have one, too? Descriptions of the monster vary and range from some sort of wild dog-like animal to a hunched, walking reptile. October 4, 2014-New Florence, PA-Unknown Giant Bird 15 Feet Over Car It was during the late afternoon when the witness traveling on a rural road about 2 miles from the New Florence power generating station was startled when a huge bird passed about 15 feet over the top of his vehicle. "That's their home.". Only the last species lives in the United States; other large U.S. birds include bald eagles and golden eagles. The first teratorn fossils were discovered in 1909 in famous La Brea Tar Pits in . [14][19] When hunting actively, A. magnificens would probably have swooped from high above onto their prey, which they usually would have been able to grab prey by its bill, kill, and swallow without landing. . I wonder what side of town the thing was spotted in. In the comments, hundreds gave their accounts of what they witnessed and uploaded clips captured from their dash cams and home security cameras, including Herzog who shared a video his brother and sister-in-law filmed in San Antonio. . Some appear as half-human, half-animal, or can even steal a face to look like a friend or family member. Alverico Guajardo spotted the creature and described it as looking like a bat. Now extinct, this fascinating bird is reportedly the largest bird ever discovered. Was a grey-brown color. Another video from Michael Schwab, a witness in the area, shows the gator being lifted off the ground using a tow truck. large rodents, small armadillos and the young of large animals such as ground sloths. [3] The species apparently had stout, strong legs and large feet which enabled it to walk with ease. I could hear when the bullet hit the wing. Today, most new wild Condors are introduced back into the wild through conservationists breeding programs with captive birds. Teratorns are thought to have been attracted by Pleistocene megafauna that became stuck and died in the viscous asphalt while trying to drink from pools of water that gathered on the surface, with the teratorns subsequently falling victim to the sticky deposits. Physical characteristics Currently accepted estimates: Wingspan: 5.8-8 m (19 - 26 ft) Wing area: nearly 7 m (75 square ft) Wing loading: c. 11.5 kg/m Length: 3.5 m (11.5 ft) Height: 1.7-2 m (5.6-6.5 ft) Weight: 60-80 kg (140-180 lb) For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross (3.63 m). As with all extinct species, not much can be known about the Giant Teratorns behaviour. I had spent countless hours as a child studying dinosaurs and playing with dinosaur models. Teratorns - The Monster Birds 188,577 views May 10, 2020 7.8K Dislike Share Save Ben G Thomas 543K subscribers Millions of years ago giant birds of prey ruled the Americas - the Teratorns.. Your email address will not be published. A video of a large blue heron, native to Texas, was broadcast as that of Big Bird. At one time, wingspans have been published for the species up to 7.5 to 8m (24ft 7in to 26ft 3in) but more recent estimates put the wingspan more likely in the range of 5.09 to 6.5m (16ft 8in to 21ft 4in). In order for this Teratorn to sustain it's numbers, there would have to be several hundreds of them. . We were tubing [inner-tube] in the river, some time in the morning or early afternoon. Look at its probable descendent--the California Condor. With luck, we may get some photos soon. Just a stab in the dark you wouldn't be thinking of terror birds would you? Updating the True Ghost Stories Page recently, I once again came across several reports of huge birds that I received around 2006. Are there any mythical creatures in New Mexico? Story: This story happened back in 2002. It was about one third larger than today's living condors. Argentavis's humerus was only slightly shorter than an entire human arm. I was about 14 years old. These birds werent going south in a migrating way. Although the Native American legend of the Thunderbird is sometimes mentioned as an aside to the sightings, very few of the eyewitness accounts make any supernatural claims; they are describing birds engaging in ordinary birdlike behavior, unremarkable but for their incredibly large size. If that is a picture of the same speciman i'm thinking of. The AMS received video footage from Ring doorbells and dash cameras that show the extremely bright fireball traveling rapidly toward earth. I think 20' wingspan is a gross exaggeration. Strange sightings of a huge flying creature have been reported as recently as six months ago. Weekly free ghost stories delivered to your inbox. he wasnt the only one who had seen it. While ugly and HUGE (and can bite), they mostly eat other bugs. A map from the nonprofit scientific organization shows the . New Mexico is a place of legend and spirit, and its cryptid population is said to embody exactly that. Alisha Kegley Pate, who submitted a report to AMS, captured the meteor going down in flames as it entered Earth's atmosphere while she was filming frogs croaking at her ranch in Frelsburg, Texas. I went to the front and I did not see it. Other than the above-mentioned New Mexico cryptids, beings, or paranormal sightings, there are far more. What is sacred? The study of hidden or unclassified animals---that is cryptozoology. My father didnt go that time, because he was sick with the flu. we knew it was quite far away, but it was as big as a regular bird would appear up close. One would delta-back the wings and dive for about five thousand feet before pulling-up and joining the group. For the latest and best fromChron,sign up for our daily newsletter here. Many Teratorn bone samples contributing to modern research have been found at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. One of the gators was wrangled single-handedly by a local restaurant owner after he dropped his kids off at school. To view more reports and videos of the giant fireball, visit here. Even so, it allows a fairly accurate estimate of its length in life. Small rain chances followed by elevated fire danger. A few seconds after is passed, our power went off shortly!" until there were only approximately five in sight, then regroup from somewhere. Teratornis (Greek: "wonder" (teretos), "bird" (ornis)[2]) was a genus of huge North American birds of prey the best-known of the teratorns - of which, two species are known to have existed: Teratornis merriami and The species apparently had stout, strong legs and large feet which enabled it to walk with ease. Mass estimates for these azhdarchids are on the order of 200250kg (440550lb) and their estimated height on the ground was roughly analogous to an elephant or small giraffe.[13]. There is a lot of area in the Texas hill country around San Antonio like the Devil's Backbone up by San Marcos ,Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and other places for a large bird to live,with only catlle ranchers or sheep and goat ranches around but few homes. Turns out that the mysterious blazing sky phenomenonwas a fireball. [8], The finger bones of the Teratornis were fused as in all modern birds; however, part of the index finger forms a shelf which aided in bearing the load of long and stout primaries, enabling the bird to utilize strong upcurrents in flight. Surprisingly, during this whole experience, I was not scared at all. American Museum of Natural History", "Size and Locomotion in Teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae)", A New Teratorn (Aves: Teratornithidae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Oregon, USA, "Locomotion in the Fossil Vulture Teratornis", Size and Locomotion in Teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae), "Shape Similarities and Differences in the Skulls of Scavenging Raptors", "Visual Adaptations in Predatory and Scavenging Diurnal Raptors", "Ecomorphological indicators of feeding behavior in Recent and fossil raptors", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Teratornis&oldid=1133855295, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 21:12. It sounded like something flapping. 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