Extinct Species Of A Giant Prehistoric Condor, Discovered In Buenos Aires [Photos & Video]
Another exciting discovery marks this day for the paleontology enthusiasts. Researchers from the Paleontological Museum of San Pedro have dug up the remains of an extinct species of a giant prehistoric condor in Buenos Aires.
Similarities with the modern-day condor
The bird that they were able to find is about 10,000 years old, and it is over 3.50 meters in length with its wings open.
It’s important to note that this is a similar trait shared with the modern-day Andean condor.
The paleontologists have found the giant prehistoric condor’s fossils at around 12 kilometers south of Buenos Aires.
“[That] is an exceptional finding, since it is the record of a new species of the giant bird that flew over the province of Buenos Aires at the end of the Pleistocene. The ulna and radius found, belonging to the right-wing, are much more robust than the Vultur gryphus, popularly known as the Andean condor, so we estimate that its body mass was much higher, although the study has just begun,” said Dr. Federico Agnolin, a scientist at the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences (MACN).
He offered a more detailed report for Agency CTyS-UNLaM press agency.
The prehistoric condor weighed about 18-20 kg, and this means that the creature was about 5 to 6 kg heavier than the modern-day condor mentioned above.
The team of scientists who made this huge discovery includes José Luis Aguilar, Julio Simonini, Javier Saucedo, Matías Swistun, Bruno Zarlenga and Bruno Rolfo, all from the San Pedro Museum.
The condor doesn’t have a scientific name yet, but it’s also been reported that it used to live around other prey birds such as giant southern crested caracara (also known as carancho), vultures, and jotes.
“It is a relevant finding, and it shows us that the condors were much more diverse at that time and that they also inhabited the Pampean region, while at present they can be seen in the Andean region, in the north of Argentina and, even, up to in the province of Córdoba,” said Dr. Agnoli, as cited by the online publication Advocator.
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