Argentavis was one of the most massive airborne animals to ever live, and was the biggest bird ever known to soar through the skies. This giant bird of prey flew thousands of feet high, only to come crashing down on victims in an explosion of claws and feathers. Argentavis fed on the grazing animals in the prehistoric region that is now Argentina.
Lift Off! This beast was too bulky to take off by just flapping its wings, so the creature took advantage of air currents. A run and jump into the wind would have given Argentavis lift, and it stayed in the air by gliding on columns of warm, rising air.
Wide Wings: Argentavis dominated the skies over what is now Argentina. This behemoth bird's wingspan measured incredible lengths-up to 25 feet! By comparison, a modern condor's wingspan is about 10 feet.
Crash Landing[]
Various species of big birds with wide wingspans were successful predators 6 million years ago.
Like modern birds of prey, Argentavis had a strong, curved beak and long, sharp talons-but it rarely needed either to make its kills. This bird could spot prey from hundreds of feet high and could zoom down from the sky at speeds upward of 100 miles per hour. At that speed and at a weight of nearly 200 pounds, the bird would have had the impact of a ton of bricks and could have easily snapped the spines of large animals. Once a victim was dying, Argentavis sliced the meat with its bill and claws. The bird also ate carrion.
Neck Warmer: Experts think Argentavis could soar tens of thousands of feet high, the altitudes at which jumbo jets cruise. The air is cold up there, so the bird had a thick ruffle of feathers around its neck to keep it warm.
Grazers Welcome: About 7 million years ago, the plains of Argentina were fertile and full of plants. This attracted large plant-eating animals, such as diadiaphorus (an ancestor of horses), which often ended up as prey for Argentavis.
Dead or Alive[]
- While high in the air, Argentavis sees a diadiaphorus running across a field. The bird swoops down at high speeds and crashes into the victim, snapping its spine like a twig. The bird then strips its carcass of meat.
- Later, the bird spots a dead animal on the ground, and flies down gradually, making wide circles around the carcass as it descends. As it did with its live prey earlier, it uses its sharp beak to slice strips of meat from the body.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The argentavis is featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 57.