Giant Terror Birds Once Ruled Antarctica, Study Suggests

<p><strong>Terror birds</strong>&nbsp;were wretched creatures. They grew up to nine feet tall. They crushed prey with their horse-sized skulls. They&nbsp;stalked&nbsp;ecosystems and created misery for almost everything.</p> <p>A new discovery by Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche and Washington Jones, published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5162-eocene-cariamiformes-from-antarctica" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Palaeontologia Electronica</em></a>, suggests terror birds might have once ruled Antarctica.</p> <p>Antarctica today is an inhospitable place. To quote the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usap.gov/aboutthecontinent/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">US Antarctica Program</a>, &ldquo;it is the coldest, windiest, [and] harshest continent.&rdquo; Over 98% of its land is covered by thick ice sheets. Temperatures near the South Pole average -28&deg;C (-18&deg;F) in summer and -60&deg;C (-76&deg;F) in winter. Not an ideal location for your next vacation home.</p> <p><a href="https://tmitchellbrown.medium.com/giant-terror-birds-once-ruled-antartica-study-suggests-3b42091c888c"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>