Post by arethousleepy on Aug 29, 2019 16:14:57 GMT 5
Andalgalornis steulleti
Andalgalornis was a genus of flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae (often called "terror birds") that lived in Argentina. The type and only species is A. steulleti.
Andalgalornis is known from an incomplete skeleton and some single bones found from sites in the Entre Ríos and Catamarca Provinces of northeast and northwest Argentina. The fossils were uncovered from the Miocene to Early Pliocene Andalgala Formation.
Andalgalornis stood around one and a half meters tall. The subfamily to which the genus belonged, the Patagornithinae, contained species that were of quite slender build; it looked much like the larger phorusrhacid Phorusrhacos, but it was more elegant and smaller and had a proportionally higher beak, the most massive in proportion to body size of of all phorusrhacids. A recent analysis of CT scans of the skull of Andalgalornis suggests that the beak was strong dorsoventrally (in the vertical plane) but relatively weak mediolaterally on either side. The beak's weakness suggests that the bird could not have taken down large prey, but consumed smaller, more easily manageable and less risky prey. However, the beak's dorsoventral strength may have enabled Andalgalornis to quickly strike down on its prey in a repeated attack-and-retreat hunting strategy. This bird would have weighed 40 kg on average.
Eurasian Lynx - Lynx lynx
The Eurasian lynx is one of the widest ranging of all cat species. The population fell to a low of around 700 in Europe between 1930 and 1950.
The Eurasian lynx is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and the wolf, and the largest of the 4 lynx species. It has a short body, long legs and large feet. The ears have a characteristic black tuff at the tips while the paws have sharp retractile claws. Fur is usually grey to red and more or less spotted. The animal weighs 15 - 28 kg and feeds on small ungulates (hoofed mammals) such as roe deer, and smaller prey like hares where the former is scarce. Generally, males are larger and more powerful than females. Size differentiation probably originated from sexual competition in which only the large and powerful males survived to mate. In Eurasian lynx, hunting methods are learned by observation and practice. Rather than smelling their prey, lynx depend on their extraordinary sense of hearing along with sight. Eurasian lynx spend time grooming themselves in order to keep clean and scratch on surface in order to keep their claws sharp. They are most active in early morning and late afternoon. Winter brings both problems and advantages to Eurasian lynx populations. These cats can be easily seen against the snow in wintertime because of the lack of grass to hide behind. They resort to hiding behind rocks at this time of the year. Moving through the snow, on the other hand, is easy for these cats because of their large, fur-covered feet that prevent them from sinking into the snow. When Eurasian lynx are discovered by a predator, they stand still and stare.
Andalgalornis was a genus of flightless predatory birds of the family Phorusrhacidae (often called "terror birds") that lived in Argentina. The type and only species is A. steulleti.
Andalgalornis is known from an incomplete skeleton and some single bones found from sites in the Entre Ríos and Catamarca Provinces of northeast and northwest Argentina. The fossils were uncovered from the Miocene to Early Pliocene Andalgala Formation.
Andalgalornis stood around one and a half meters tall. The subfamily to which the genus belonged, the Patagornithinae, contained species that were of quite slender build; it looked much like the larger phorusrhacid Phorusrhacos, but it was more elegant and smaller and had a proportionally higher beak, the most massive in proportion to body size of of all phorusrhacids. A recent analysis of CT scans of the skull of Andalgalornis suggests that the beak was strong dorsoventrally (in the vertical plane) but relatively weak mediolaterally on either side. The beak's weakness suggests that the bird could not have taken down large prey, but consumed smaller, more easily manageable and less risky prey. However, the beak's dorsoventral strength may have enabled Andalgalornis to quickly strike down on its prey in a repeated attack-and-retreat hunting strategy. This bird would have weighed 40 kg on average.
Eurasian Lynx - Lynx lynx
The Eurasian lynx is one of the widest ranging of all cat species. The population fell to a low of around 700 in Europe between 1930 and 1950.
The Eurasian lynx is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and the wolf, and the largest of the 4 lynx species. It has a short body, long legs and large feet. The ears have a characteristic black tuff at the tips while the paws have sharp retractile claws. Fur is usually grey to red and more or less spotted. The animal weighs 15 - 28 kg and feeds on small ungulates (hoofed mammals) such as roe deer, and smaller prey like hares where the former is scarce. Generally, males are larger and more powerful than females. Size differentiation probably originated from sexual competition in which only the large and powerful males survived to mate. In Eurasian lynx, hunting methods are learned by observation and practice. Rather than smelling their prey, lynx depend on their extraordinary sense of hearing along with sight. Eurasian lynx spend time grooming themselves in order to keep clean and scratch on surface in order to keep their claws sharp. They are most active in early morning and late afternoon. Winter brings both problems and advantages to Eurasian lynx populations. These cats can be easily seen against the snow in wintertime because of the lack of grass to hide behind. They resort to hiding behind rocks at this time of the year. Moving through the snow, on the other hand, is easy for these cats because of their large, fur-covered feet that prevent them from sinking into the snow. When Eurasian lynx are discovered by a predator, they stand still and stare.
