Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)

Autores
Degrange, Federico Javier; Tambussi, Claudia Patricia; Moreno, Karen; Witmer, Lawrence M.; Wroe, Stephen
Año de publicación
2010
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The South American phorusrhacid bird radiation comprised at least 18 species of small to gigantic terrestrial predators for which there are no close modern analogs. Here we perform functional analyses of the skull of the medium-sized (,40 kg) patagornithine phorusrhacid Andalgalornis steulleti (upper Miocene-lower Pliocene, Andalgalá Formation, Catamarca, Argentina) to assess its mechanical performance in a comparative context. Based on computed tomographic (CT) scanning and morphological analysis, the skull of Andalgalornis steulleti is interpreted as showing features reflecting loss of intracranial immobility. Discrete anatomical attributes permitting such cranial kinesis are widespread phorusrhacids outgroups, but this is the first clear evidence of loss of cranial kinesis in a gruiform bird and may be among the best documented cases among all birds. This apomorphic loss is interpreted as an adaptation for enhanced craniofacial rigidity, particularly with regard to sagittal loading. We apply a Finite Element approach to a three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull. Based on regression analysis we estimate the bite force of Andalgalornis at the bill tip to be 133 N. Relative to results obtained from Finite Element Analysis of one of its closest living relatives (seriema) and a large predatory bird (eagle), the phorusrhacid's skull shows relatively high stress under lateral loadings, but low stress where force is applied dorsoventrally (sagittally) and in ''pullback'' simulations. Given the relative weakness of the skull mediolaterally, it seems unlikely that Andalgalornis engaged in potentially risky behaviors that involved subduing large, struggling prey with its beak. We suggest that it either consumed smaller prey that could be killed and consumed more safely (e.g., swallowed whole) or that it used multiple well-targeted sagittal strikes with the beak in a repetitive attack-and-retreat strategy.
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo
Materia
Ciencias Naturales
Aves
Craneología
Adaptación Biológica
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Repositorio
SEDICI (UNLP)
Institución
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
OAI Identificador
oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/29520

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network_name_str SEDICI (UNLP)
spelling Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)Degrange, Federico JavierTambussi, Claudia PatriciaMoreno, KarenWitmer, Lawrence M.Wroe, StephenCiencias NaturalesAvesCraneologíaAdaptación BiológicaThe South American phorusrhacid bird radiation comprised at least 18 species of small to gigantic terrestrial predators for which there are no close modern analogs. Here we perform functional analyses of the skull of the medium-sized (,40 kg) patagornithine phorusrhacid Andalgalornis steulleti (upper Miocene-lower Pliocene, Andalgalá Formation, Catamarca, Argentina) to assess its mechanical performance in a comparative context. Based on computed tomographic (CT) scanning and morphological analysis, the skull of Andalgalornis steulleti is interpreted as showing features reflecting loss of intracranial immobility. Discrete anatomical attributes permitting such cranial kinesis are widespread phorusrhacids outgroups, but this is the first clear evidence of loss of cranial kinesis in a gruiform bird and may be among the best documented cases among all birds. This apomorphic loss is interpreted as an adaptation for enhanced craniofacial rigidity, particularly with regard to sagittal loading. We apply a Finite Element approach to a three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull. Based on regression analysis we estimate the bite force of Andalgalornis at the bill tip to be 133 N. Relative to results obtained from Finite Element Analysis of one of its closest living relatives (seriema) and a large predatory bird (eagle), the phorusrhacid's skull shows relatively high stress under lateral loadings, but low stress where force is applied dorsoventrally (sagittally) and in ''pullback'' simulations. Given the relative weakness of the skull mediolaterally, it seems unlikely that Andalgalornis engaged in potentially risky behaviors that involved subduing large, struggling prey with its beak. We suggest that it either consumed smaller prey that could be killed and consumed more safely (e.g., swallowed whole) or that it used multiple well-targeted sagittal strikes with the beak in a repetitive attack-and-retreat strategy.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo2010info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArticulohttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/29520enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0011856info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/1932-6203info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0011856info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)reponame:SEDICI (UNLP)instname:Universidad Nacional de La Platainstacron:UNLP2025-09-29T10:57:12Zoai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/29520Institucionalhttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/Universidad públicaNo correspondehttp://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/oai/snrdalira@sedici.unlp.edu.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:13292025-09-29 10:57:13.078SEDICI (UNLP) - Universidad Nacional de La Platafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
title Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
spellingShingle Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
Degrange, Federico Javier
Ciencias Naturales
Aves
Craneología
Adaptación Biológica
title_short Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
title_full Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
title_fullStr Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
title_full_unstemmed Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
title_sort Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "Terror Bird" <i>Andalgalornis steulleti</i> (Gruiformes: phorusrhacidae)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Degrange, Federico Javier
Tambussi, Claudia Patricia
Moreno, Karen
Witmer, Lawrence M.
Wroe, Stephen
author Degrange, Federico Javier
author_facet Degrange, Federico Javier
Tambussi, Claudia Patricia
Moreno, Karen
Witmer, Lawrence M.
Wroe, Stephen
author_role author
author2 Tambussi, Claudia Patricia
Moreno, Karen
Witmer, Lawrence M.
Wroe, Stephen
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Ciencias Naturales
Aves
Craneología
Adaptación Biológica
topic Ciencias Naturales
Aves
Craneología
Adaptación Biológica
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The South American phorusrhacid bird radiation comprised at least 18 species of small to gigantic terrestrial predators for which there are no close modern analogs. Here we perform functional analyses of the skull of the medium-sized (,40 kg) patagornithine phorusrhacid Andalgalornis steulleti (upper Miocene-lower Pliocene, Andalgalá Formation, Catamarca, Argentina) to assess its mechanical performance in a comparative context. Based on computed tomographic (CT) scanning and morphological analysis, the skull of Andalgalornis steulleti is interpreted as showing features reflecting loss of intracranial immobility. Discrete anatomical attributes permitting such cranial kinesis are widespread phorusrhacids outgroups, but this is the first clear evidence of loss of cranial kinesis in a gruiform bird and may be among the best documented cases among all birds. This apomorphic loss is interpreted as an adaptation for enhanced craniofacial rigidity, particularly with regard to sagittal loading. We apply a Finite Element approach to a three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull. Based on regression analysis we estimate the bite force of Andalgalornis at the bill tip to be 133 N. Relative to results obtained from Finite Element Analysis of one of its closest living relatives (seriema) and a large predatory bird (eagle), the phorusrhacid's skull shows relatively high stress under lateral loadings, but low stress where force is applied dorsoventrally (sagittally) and in ''pullback'' simulations. Given the relative weakness of the skull mediolaterally, it seems unlikely that Andalgalornis engaged in potentially risky behaviors that involved subduing large, struggling prey with its beak. We suggest that it either consumed smaller prey that could be killed and consumed more safely (e.g., swallowed whole) or that it used multiple well-targeted sagittal strikes with the beak in a repetitive attack-and-retreat strategy.
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo
description The South American phorusrhacid bird radiation comprised at least 18 species of small to gigantic terrestrial predators for which there are no close modern analogs. Here we perform functional analyses of the skull of the medium-sized (,40 kg) patagornithine phorusrhacid Andalgalornis steulleti (upper Miocene-lower Pliocene, Andalgalá Formation, Catamarca, Argentina) to assess its mechanical performance in a comparative context. Based on computed tomographic (CT) scanning and morphological analysis, the skull of Andalgalornis steulleti is interpreted as showing features reflecting loss of intracranial immobility. Discrete anatomical attributes permitting such cranial kinesis are widespread phorusrhacids outgroups, but this is the first clear evidence of loss of cranial kinesis in a gruiform bird and may be among the best documented cases among all birds. This apomorphic loss is interpreted as an adaptation for enhanced craniofacial rigidity, particularly with regard to sagittal loading. We apply a Finite Element approach to a three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull. Based on regression analysis we estimate the bite force of Andalgalornis at the bill tip to be 133 N. Relative to results obtained from Finite Element Analysis of one of its closest living relatives (seriema) and a large predatory bird (eagle), the phorusrhacid's skull shows relatively high stress under lateral loadings, but low stress where force is applied dorsoventrally (sagittally) and in ''pullback'' simulations. Given the relative weakness of the skull mediolaterally, it seems unlikely that Andalgalornis engaged in potentially risky behaviors that involved subduing large, struggling prey with its beak. We suggest that it either consumed smaller prey that could be killed and consumed more safely (e.g., swallowed whole) or that it used multiple well-targeted sagittal strikes with the beak in a repetitive attack-and-retreat strategy.
publishDate 2010
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2010
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info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/1932-6203
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0011856
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
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