Gastornis gigantea and its prey, illustration

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Gastornis gigantea and its prey, illustration. Gastornis was a large flightless bird that lived between the late Paleocene (55 million years ago) and the middle Eocene (45 million years ago). Also known as Diatryma, it grew up to 2 metres tall and possessed a huge sharp beak and large powerful legs with sharp talons. This suggests it was a predator and probably hunted using ambush methods or pack hunting. Here, it is preying on a small mammal. This species, G. gigantea, dates from the middle Eocene of western North America.

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Size: 5630px × 3479px
Location:
Photo credit: © JA CHIRINOS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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