#phorosrhacos

[thecoffeeisblack]

Final for Phorusrhacos longissimus. The golden light of mid-day rolls over the hills and grasslands of what will become known as southern Argentina. On the edge of a pasture, hidden among low growing shrubs that line the border between field and forest, golden eyes peer into the distance waiting for any signs of movement. Muscles tense as in preparation as brown fur peaks out from a burrow among the yellowing foliage, a split second later and two muscular legs propel the eyes forward. The tiny creature panics panics, its front and back legs dig fruitlessly into the earth to gain traction as it attempts to flee from the 290 pound nightmare barreling towards it. With a quick strike, pain floods through the small fur covered body; bones break, organs rupture, and the little creature drops to the ground unable to move, as the light fades from its eyes it feels the pressure of a massive foot bearing down on its head, pinning it in place as a hooked beak begins to pull the quivering mass of its torso apart. Terror Birds, live up to their namesake in many ways as they took the place as top predators not long after their non-avian dinosaur cousins died out during the KT mass extinction around 62 million years ago and their reign lasted until around 1.8 million years ago, with some fossil findings having possibly been dated at as recent as 18,000 years. With such a long lineage, it's no surprise that the group included many different species with different predatory niches, ranging in size from 3 to 10 feet in height. Phorosrhacos longissimus was the type species for the group, with a 26 inch long skull and a max height of 7.9 feet it was one of the larger members of its family, it was originally discovered in 1887 in the Santa Cruz Formation in Argentina. It lived roughly between 20 and 13 million years ago.

#phorosrhacos #bird #terrorbird #aviandinosaur #dinosaur #paleo #paleoart #paleontology #sciart #science #educational #naturalhistory #miocene #digitalart #digitalillustration #illustration #illustrationart #art #artist #maine #maineart #newengland #newenglandart #artistsontumblr

[thecoffeeisblack]

New t-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs, and other items are now available on my @teepublic shop, including my Terror Bird! Everything is currently 35% off with tees starting at $13 each!

Go here:

https://www.teepublic.com/user/coffeeblack

#phorosrhacos #terrorbird #terror #bird #prehistoric #miocene #paleo #paleoart #paleontology #sciart #science #sale #teepublic #artistsonteepublic #tshirt #stickers #mugs #coffee #coffeemug #shop #digitalart #digitalillustration #illustration #illustrationart #art #artist #maine #maineart #newengland #newenglandart