206 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
206 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
science
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dinosaurs
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7953283
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-----
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# Prehistoric 'terror bird' pecked creatures to death
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## Scientists have discovered a prehistoric bird that used its hooked beak to
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peck its prey to death.
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400
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227
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TelegraphPlayer-7954118
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[Link to this video][1]
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9:37AM BST 19 Aug 2010
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[Comments][2]
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The ninety-pound flightless birds, which lived in South America, wielded their
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giant, sharp beaks in quick jabs, repeatedly backing away and jabbing again,
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according to a new study.
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The tactics of the "terror bird", officially called Andalgalornis, were
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dictated partly by its size and emu-like composition, which made hunting any
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other way extremely difficult and possibly fatal, scientists said.
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"These guys were not sluggers; they couldn't go in and grapple with prey. They
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had to stand back and dance around and make hatchet-like jabs," said Lawrence
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Witmer of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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The 4 1/2-foot tall bird lived about 6 million years ago in what is now north-
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western [**Argentina**][3]. Its skull had a deep, narrow bill armed with a
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powerful, hawk-like hook.
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Scientists have determined the bird's hunting style by taking X-rays of its
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skull.
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"Birds generally have skulls with lots of mobility between the bones, which
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allows them to have light but strong skulls. But we found that Andalgalornis
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had turned these mobile joints into rigid beams. This guy had a strong skull,
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particularly in the fore-aft direction, despite having a curiously hollow
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beak," said Witmer.
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Andalgalornis was one of a variety of mid-sized birds which lived in South
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America at the time. At least one larger type, Titanis, invaded North America,
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but the animals later disappeared.
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The research was funded by the US National Science Foundation, the Australian
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Research Council, the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation and the
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National Fund for Scientific and Technological Investigation of Argentina.
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][5]
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* Share: [Share][4] [ ][6] [ ][7]
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[Tweet][8]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/dinosaurs/7953283/Prehistoric-terror-bird-
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pecked-creatures-to-death.html
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Telegraph
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## [Dinosaurs][9]
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* ### [News »][10]
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* ### [World News »][11]
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* ### [South America »][12]
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* ### [Argentina »][13]
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In science
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[![Model of Tyrannosaurus rex's: Dinosaurs the 'couch potatoes' of prehistoric
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world ][14] ][15]
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### [Tyrannosaurus Rex: the cannibal][15]
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[![A bizarre dinosaur with a ''crown of horns'' has been discovered by
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scientists. ][16] ][17]
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### [Horned dinosaurs discovered][17]
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[![An artist's impression of Pakasuchus][18] ][19]
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### [Cat-like crocodile roamed earth][19]
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[![Mojoceratops, a relative of the triceratops which lived 75 million years
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ago. Mojoceratops, the frilly dinosaur named over beers][20] ][21]
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### [The 'Mojoceratops' is named][21]
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[X][4] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][5]
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Share:
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* [ ][4]
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* [ ][6]
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* [ ][7]
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* [Tweet][8]
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* Advertisement
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![][22]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][23] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][24]
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[![Gil Scott-Heron][39]][38]
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Composer, musician, poet and author whose writing provided a vivid commentary
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on the black American experience.
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Advertisement
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[TELEGRAPH JOBS »][44]
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[Find a course with Telegraph Courses][48]
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var puffs_8255319 = new Array();
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