Teratornis

Teratornis
Temporal range: Pleistocene
T. merriami skeleton from the La Brea Tar Pits
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cathartiformes
Family: Teratornithidae
Genus: Teratornis
L. H. Miller, 1909[1]
Type species
Teratornis merriami
Miller, 1909
Species
  • T. merriami Milner, 1909
  • T. woodburnensis Campbell & Stenger, 2002
Synonyms
  • Pleistogyps rex Milner, 1910

Teratornis (Greek: "wonder" (teratos), "bird" (ornis)[2]) was a genus of huge North American birds of prey—the best-known of the teratorns—of which, two species are known to have existed: Teratornis merriami and Teratornis woodburnensis. A large number of fossil and subfossil bones, representing more than 100 individuals, have been found in locations in California, Oregon, southern Nevada, Arizona, and Florida, though most are from the Californian La Brea Tar Pits. All remains except one Early Pleistocene partial skeleton from the Leisey Shell Pit near Charlotte Harbor, Florida (which may represent a different species or a subspecies) date from the Late Pleistocene, with the youngest remains dating from the PleistoceneHolocene boundary.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Miller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The World's Largest Flying Bird" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2019.