Post by Infinity Blade on Aug 16, 2016 7:25:14 GMT 5
Daggett’s Walking Eagle-Buteogallus daggetti
Statue of Daggett's walking eagle at the San Diego Zoo. Image source ->
Temporal range: Pleistocene
Scientific classification:
Life
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Unikonta
(unranked): Opisthokonta
(unranked): Holozoa
(unranked): Filozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
(unranked): Bilateria
Clade: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Olfactores
Clade: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Clade: Eugnathostomata
Clade: Teleostomi
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Clade: Reptiliomorpha
Clade: Amniota
Class: Reptilia or Clade: Sauropsida
Clade: Eureptilia
Clade: Romeriida
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: Neodiapsida
Clade: Archelosauria
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Clade: Crurotarsi
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Avemetatarsalia
Clade: Ornithodira
Clade: Dinosauromorpha
Clade: Dinosauriformes
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Clade: Eusaurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Clade: Neotheropoda
Clade: Averostra
Clade: Tetanurae
Clade: Orionides
Clade: Avetheropoda
Clade: Coelurosauria
Clade: Tyrannoraptora
Clade: Maniraptoriformes
Clade: Maniraptora
Clade: Pennaraptora
Clade: Paraves
Clade: Eumaniraptora
Clade: Averaptora
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Euavialae
Clade: Avebrevicauda
Clade: Pygostylia
Clade: Ornithothoraces
Clade: Euornithes
Clade: Orithuromorpha
Clade: Ornithurae
Clade: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Clade: Inopinaves
Clade: Telluraves
Clade: Afroaves
Clade: Accipitrimorphae
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Buteogallus[1]
Species: †B. daggetti
Daggett's walking eagle-Buteogallus daggetti-was a species of hawk that lived in the Pleistocene of North America from southern California to northern Mexico.[1]
Taxonomy:
This extinct hawk was formerly known as Wetmoregyps daggetti. However, Olson (2007) found that the animal was "...practically identical in morphology and proportion to the living Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis) but ~40% larger". This led to it being assigned to the genus Buteogallus.[1]
Description and habits:
Daggett's walking eagle can be thought of as a scaled-up version of the extant savanna hawk. Today, the latter hunts mammals, reptiles, "amphibians", and arthropods. The elongated, gracile limb proportions of B. daggetti and the open habitat it lived in support the fact that it was substantially terrestrial like its modern relative.[1]
It was deemed as "weak-footed" and thus analogous to the extant secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), possibly in reference to the fact that unlike many accipitriformes (e.g. eagles), the secretary bird does not make use of strong gripping feet for predation. The least diameter of the shafts of the secretary bird and the walking eagle were 31 mm and 35 mm, respectively. This suggests that the walking eagle was at least as husky, if not more so, than the secretary bird and hence could have occupied a similar niche to it. The secretary bird is well known for its predation on snakes. It's likely that B. daggetti could/would have done the same. Certainly its larger size compared to the savanna hawk would allow it to prey on much larger snakes than its modern relative can manage.[1]
Extinction:
The walking eagle's extinction has been attributed to it being a scavenger that relied upon the carcasses of the Pleistocene megafauna for sustenance, and that when said megafauna became extinct, it could no longer sustain itself. Olson (2007) does not find this likely. There appears to be no indication of B. daggetti being any more of a scavenger than other predators that kill their own prey and scavenge when the opportunity arises. Therefore, unless the open areas that B. daggetti lived in were contingent upon the presence of the extinct Pleistocene megafauna, it seems unlikely that their extinctions directly affected the walking eagle.[1]
References:
[1] Olson, S.L. (2007). The "Walking Eagle" Wetmoregyps daggetti Miller: A Scaled-Up Version of the Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis). Ornithological Monographs.
Statue of Daggett's walking eagle at the San Diego Zoo. Image source ->
Temporal range: Pleistocene
Scientific classification:
Life
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Unikonta
(unranked): Opisthokonta
(unranked): Holozoa
(unranked): Filozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
(unranked): Bilateria
Clade: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Olfactores
Clade: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Clade: Eugnathostomata
Clade: Teleostomi
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Clade: Reptiliomorpha
Clade: Amniota
Class: Reptilia or Clade: Sauropsida
Clade: Eureptilia
Clade: Romeriida
Clade: Diapsida
Clade: Neodiapsida
Clade: Archelosauria
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Clade: Crurotarsi
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Avemetatarsalia
Clade: Ornithodira
Clade: Dinosauromorpha
Clade: Dinosauriformes
Clade: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Clade: Eusaurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Clade: Neotheropoda
Clade: Averostra
Clade: Tetanurae
Clade: Orionides
Clade: Avetheropoda
Clade: Coelurosauria
Clade: Tyrannoraptora
Clade: Maniraptoriformes
Clade: Maniraptora
Clade: Pennaraptora
Clade: Paraves
Clade: Eumaniraptora
Clade: Averaptora
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Euavialae
Clade: Avebrevicauda
Clade: Pygostylia
Clade: Ornithothoraces
Clade: Euornithes
Clade: Orithuromorpha
Clade: Ornithurae
Clade: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Clade: Inopinaves
Clade: Telluraves
Clade: Afroaves
Clade: Accipitrimorphae
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Buteogallus[1]
Species: †B. daggetti
Daggett's walking eagle-Buteogallus daggetti-was a species of hawk that lived in the Pleistocene of North America from southern California to northern Mexico.[1]
Taxonomy:
This extinct hawk was formerly known as Wetmoregyps daggetti. However, Olson (2007) found that the animal was "...practically identical in morphology and proportion to the living Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis) but ~40% larger". This led to it being assigned to the genus Buteogallus.[1]
Description and habits:
Daggett's walking eagle can be thought of as a scaled-up version of the extant savanna hawk. Today, the latter hunts mammals, reptiles, "amphibians", and arthropods. The elongated, gracile limb proportions of B. daggetti and the open habitat it lived in support the fact that it was substantially terrestrial like its modern relative.[1]
It was deemed as "weak-footed" and thus analogous to the extant secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), possibly in reference to the fact that unlike many accipitriformes (e.g. eagles), the secretary bird does not make use of strong gripping feet for predation. The least diameter of the shafts of the secretary bird and the walking eagle were 31 mm and 35 mm, respectively. This suggests that the walking eagle was at least as husky, if not more so, than the secretary bird and hence could have occupied a similar niche to it. The secretary bird is well known for its predation on snakes. It's likely that B. daggetti could/would have done the same. Certainly its larger size compared to the savanna hawk would allow it to prey on much larger snakes than its modern relative can manage.[1]
Extinction:
The walking eagle's extinction has been attributed to it being a scavenger that relied upon the carcasses of the Pleistocene megafauna for sustenance, and that when said megafauna became extinct, it could no longer sustain itself. Olson (2007) does not find this likely. There appears to be no indication of B. daggetti being any more of a scavenger than other predators that kill their own prey and scavenge when the opportunity arises. Therefore, unless the open areas that B. daggetti lived in were contingent upon the presence of the extinct Pleistocene megafauna, it seems unlikely that their extinctions directly affected the walking eagle.[1]
References:
[1] Olson, S.L. (2007). The "Walking Eagle" Wetmoregyps daggetti Miller: A Scaled-Up Version of the Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis). Ornithological Monographs.
