I have noticed that some sightings of apparent pterosaurs are on or near water. Argentavis may have used mountain slopes and headwinds to take off, and probably could manage to do so from even gently sloping terrain with little effort. Small rain chances followed by elevated fire danger. According to Mexican folklore you are supposed to whistle back to it, say curse words, and stay out of the darkness, especially if you are a not so good person yourself. It was about one third larger than today's living condors. Compounding the mystery is that reports are often clustered around a place and time (perhaps the most famous of these being the Big Bird sightings in Texas in the 1970s) and then either abruptly or gradually peter out. 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. Okay, so I was looking through the page and I saw a story about someone who saw a really big bird and I remembered about something I saw once. The largest land predators in Miocene South America were the giant, ground-dwelling "terror birds", the phorusrhacids. Driving a car may be the most common human activity during a sighting, but water activities, including fishing and boating, keep coming up in the reports. large rodents, small armadillos and the young of large animals such as ground sloths. My father and i were fishing out large catfish at the valley acers lake. [10][11] For the T.merriami, small prey such as frogs, lizards, young birds, and rodents were swallowed whole, while carrion would have been fed on in a manner similar to that of condors or vultures. It may have flown and lived much like the modern Andean condor, scanning large areas of land from aloft for carrion. Two Missouri City residents found alligators on their porches in the past several weeks. I hope to get more details soon. I believe it lived on the lake. Argentavis magnificens, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known from three sites in the Epecun and Andalhual Formations in central and northwestern Argentina dating to the Late Miocene (Huayquerian), where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. Perhaps the birds only swoop low enough or through populated places under certain conditions, or perhaps public reports encourage others to share their stories. The Wampanoag of Massachusetts' legend is of the Pukwudgie. We were never able to see where they went when they dispersed. They just seemed to disappear, then return. Presently, no direct evidence is available for this suggestion; however, K-strategy lifestyle correlates with greater average and maximum age. We talked about it but no one had an explanation for what we saw. Do you hear that? I asked her. Residents At Myrtle Beach Report Encountering A Massive Bird Carrying A Shark 245,617 views Jul 2, 2020 Residents at Myrtle Beach report encountering a massive bird carrying a shark. Size and structure of the wing must also be taken into account. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time. Not all scientists are convinced that all species of pterosaurs must have become extinct long ago. he came in shook up. I actually think folks are seeing either a Golden Eagle, a Vulture or a Condor (the condor being the least likely, although not impossible) All three of those birds can have wingspans up to 15' but on average around 12'. Powered by Invision Community. It wasnt a heron; it wasnt a vulture; it wasnt an albatross. [14][19] When hunting actively, A. magnificens would probably have swooped from high above onto their prey, which they usually would have been able to grab prey by its bill, kill, and swallow without landing. All Rights Reserved. A trapper caught up to him about 60 yards north of Buffalo Bayou, according to Norvell. "It's just part of the environment," Isaac Veras said. Most witnesses described this unknown mysterious animal, UMA, as about five feet tall, featherless and having a long beak, bat-like wings and a simian face. [3] However, skeletal evidence suggests that its breast muscles were not powerful enough for wing flapping for extended periods. No, I think if teratorns still existed in the southwest in numbers sufficient enough to sustain them, they'd have been spotted by now or at the very least their amazingly huge nests would have been found.. it's not like the south west is covered in thick dense forest. The most obvious feature was the diamond or spade tipped tail, I have not found any creature that compares. There are known cases of one or two rare birds that are spotted and ornithologists have watched these species die out. Argentavis magnificens, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known from three sites in the Epecun and Andalhual Formations in central and northwestern Argentina dating to the Late Miocene ( Huayquerian ), where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. The true warrior enters the arena with all his powers at the ready. I went to my knees so that it would not see me. We were walking together talking when all of a sudden we both stopped. A closely related genus, Aiolornis, was about 40% larger and lived at an earlier time; it was formerly known as Teratornis incredibilis, but is distinct enough to be placed in its own genus. Another form, "Teratornis" olsoni, was described from the Pleistocene of Cuba, but its affinities are not completely resolved; it might not be a teratorn, but has also been placed in its own genus, Oscaravis. So, what about, With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, were here for it. Other than the above-mentioned, This Tiny Restaurant In New Mexico Always Has A Line Out The Door, And Theres A Reason Why, Get Away From It All Each Month Of The Year With These 12 Magnificent Escapes In New Mexico, The Most Epic Indoor Playground In New Mexico Will Bring Out The Kid In Everyone, The Best Burgers In New Mexico Are Served At This Iconic Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant, The Creepy Small Town In New Mexico With Insane Paranormal Activity, 10 Urban Legends In New Mexico To Keep You Awake At Night, 9 Spine-Tingling Hauntings Said To Be True In New Mexico, Heres What Life In New Mexico Looked Like In 1935. regression analyses or comparisons with the California condor. We both looked up and saw a really huge bird-like figure. I couldnt tell you what color. . Here are some of the original stories I received on this topic: To: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: WWW Form SubmissionDate: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:16 PMName: Arturo PerezEmail: hedorah_85@yahoo.comLocation: Eagle Pass, Texas. Argentavis's humerus was only slightly shorter than an entire human arm. Your email address will not be published. For the latest and best fromChron,sign up for our daily newsletter here. All put together, we have over half a century of experience in the birding space. My boss and I suddenly saw, parallel with the water, quite a distance away, a flying object. The prehistoric bird is supposed to be extinct, but New Mexico reports from the 1800s say the bird may still exist. It would probably never fly too close to human dwellings. The avian emitted a shrill screech. Mortality must have been very low; to maintain a viable population less than about 2% of birds may have died each year. The first time was like in 2001. It is theorized that the Teratornis primarily inhabited cliff terrain, where it could take off and soar through the air easily.[7]. Talk to us in the comments! While ugly and HUGE (and can bite), they mostly eat other bugs. Whatever it looks like, if you ever find livestock with odd punctures and drained of blood, you can add the chupacabra to your list of suspects. It was a very well lit area and it just landed and it looked like its head was turned like an owls. The next day, their fathers saw three-toed tracks, pressed about an inch into the ground. In fact, when we looked at them without the optics, they were BARELY visible. This Big Bird isnt the adorable one who lives on Sesame Street with his teddy bear Radar, but was named after him in jest. He says he's seen what most have not an unidentified flying object, one that still scares him. Currently accepted estimates for the size of Argentavis are: Comparison with extant birds suggests it laid one or two eggs with a mass of somewhat over 1kg (2.2lb) (smaller than an ostrich egg) every two years. We looked at each other said bye and ran to our own houses. Birds with larger wingspans, such as the astonishing 23 foot wide Giant Teratorn, are extinct. It's a big world, anything can be possible. My father didnt go that time, because he was sick with the flu. Some Giant Bird sightings were revealed as hoaxes or misunderstandings. . Norvell tweeted with a photo of the gator tied up in the bed of a truck. The world's largest, most popular dino event is coming to Fort Worth, Southwest pilots union leader calls on strike vote after holiday chaos. Live Pterosaur Sightings in Virginia. That's how Superman started" It's not clear whether the raresighting is connected to the Quadrantidmeteor shower, which peaked on Jan. 3 and 4 but is still active until Jan. 16. It is probable that it used thermal currents as well. At first I thought it was an eagle. I would not have believed it unless I saw it. She said its wingspan appeared to be about as long as the creek was . It was somewhat larger than the extant Andean condor, and by calculating the area of the organism's sternum and synsacrum, Teratornis was estimated to weigh about 22.5kg (50lb), which was nearly double the weight of an average Californian condor. I say Birds of Prey because I am very familiar with eagles, hawks and falcons, etc. Interestingly enough, the Rio Grande region on the south of the border has long had legends and sightings of a creature that seems very similar to what has been seen in Texas. Of what is the soul made? Argentavis magnificens (literally magnificent Argentine bird) is the largest flying bird ever discovered. To: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: WWW Form SubmissionDate: Sunday, May 07, 2006 11:10 PMName: LupeEmail: LITTLElulu17@aol.comLocation: Amarillo Texas. Sure, you wont find any unicorns here (bummer), but you will find some other creepy critters that might as well be mythical or ones that are currently mythical but thought to exist anyway by many people and cultures, like Bigfoot or the Chupacabra. One professor, Steven Watters, is an eyewitness himself. A video of a large blue heron, native to Texas, was broadcast as that of Big Bird. Argentavis may have used its wings and size to intimidate metatherian mammals and small phorusrhacids from their kills. Mothman: Rejected mainly because the descriptions are too different and this creatures sightings were limited to West Virginia. Very slim chance but who knows. This condor can weigh up to 15kg (33lb). Love New Mexico? It was about forty feet high, behind my house and flying very slowly, with nothing remarkable about it except that it was about one in the morning CST and it was alone. I remember towards the end of December I had decided to go hunting. Well, it was dark and we were just sitting there talking when we realized it was kind of late. January 14: Armando Grimaldo heard a sound like a bats wings flapping. However, Spanish-speaking areas seem to see more goat-sucking action. [6] For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the wandering albatross, averaging 3m (9ft 10in) and spanning up to 3.7m (12ft 2in). Thank you! Alverico Guajardo spotted the creature and described it as looking like a bat. Some have even seen her! These eight-eyed arachnids are real! My granny calls them lechusa (le-chew-sa) and they are considered evil and bad luck depending on color. Suddenly, large talons grabbed him and tore his shirt. Today, most new wild Condors are introduced back into the wild through conservationists breeding programs with captive birds. Skeletal remains show that this relative of the vulture had a wingspan of more than 20 feet and weighed over 120 pounds - large enough to snatch a small child. Was a grey-brown color. The image that the teacher found depicted a pterosaur. Only the last species lives in the United States; other large U.S. birds include bald eagles and golden eagles. The ability to fly is not a simple question of weight ratios, except in extreme cases; size and structure of the wing must also be taken into account. They were the first flying reptiles and had vertebrae. Its a little late.Vibes | Houston's hottest party is a secret moving disco with one ruleBallots | More Harris County GOP candidates move to overturn electionsNews | Two new evening anchors will be joining KHOULege | These new laws go into effect in Texas on January 1. For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross (3.63 m). Studies on condor flight indicate that Argentavis was fully capable of flight in normal conditions as modern large soaring birds spend very little time flapping their wings regardless of environment. commented Jessica Coleman. Here, its said that the Navajo spirit witch known as Skinwalkers may roam (along with the rest of the desert southwest). Saw it in Edna!" Well, if the news of recent gigantic boars are any indication, I can't see why eagles, vultures or other large birds can grow to a larger proportion for whatever reason. As a rule of thumb, a wing loading of 25kg/m is considered the limit for avian flight. The single known humerus (upper arm bone) specimen of Argentavis is somewhat damaged. He saw the featherless long-tailed flying creature in Crestview, Florida, at 11:45 a.m., on November 14, 2012, and reported the encounter to Jonathan Whitcomb. my mother was outside one day and thought she saw a small plane flying overhead. New Mexico is a place of legend and spirit, and its cryptid population is said to embody exactly that. Very smooth feathers. Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! An individual mute swan, which may have lost the power of flight due to extreme weight, was found to have weighed 23kg (51lb). Average weights are of course much less in both the albatross and condor than this teratorn, at approximately 8.5kg (19lb) and 11.3kg (25lb), respectively.[10][11]. He was first spotted around 7:40 a.m. A map from the nonprofit scientific organization shows the bulk of the reports came from Central Texas. had a long neck and wide wings just like in the movies or in books. Argentavis territories measured probably more than 500 square km, which the birds screened for food, possibly utilizing a generally north-south direction to avoid being slowed by adverse winds. The study of hidden or unclassified animals---that is cryptozoology. Although a creature such as the thunderbird may exist, its numbers are low and probably located in more unreachable areas. Whether this span could have reached 7m (23ft 0in) appears uncertain per modern authorities. The first teratorn fossils were discovered in 1909 in famous La Brea Tar Pits in California, the United States. Alisha Kegley Pate, who submitted a report to AMS, captured the meteor going down in flames as it entered Earth's atmosphere while she was filming frogs croaking at her ranch in Frelsburg, Texas. The AMS notes that the Quadrantids "usually lack persistent trains but often produce bright fireballs. This species seems less aerodynamically suited for predation than its relatives. [8], The finger bones of the Teratornis were fused as in all modern birds; however, part of the index finger forms a shelf which aided in bearing the load of long and stout primaries, enabling the bird to utilize strong upcurrents in flight. I happen to be a bit of a Mothman enthusiast after I saw the film The Mothman Prophecies and the Mothman is often seen to be a banshee type figure, i.e appears in an area before a major disaster. The humerus (upper arm bone) of Argentavis is somewhat damaged. Well, there are many species that we haven't even found yet and species that we think are extinct but could be still living to this day. Enormous birds have a place in many American Indian legends. No legend here. Guadalupe Cantu III was busy working his newspaper route, but he says the big news of that day 10 years ago flew right over his car. Last week while walking from the garage to the house I saw another one. This is when the Teratorn flew the skies of North America. The teratorns were a family of giant birds (now extinct) that lived in many parts of the world, but especially in the Americas. It was the subject of jokes and concern. If the thunderbird were the giant extinct teratorn Argentavis, this is how it would compare in size with a human [with illustration], Legal terms and conditions for using this site, Why a pterodactyl sighting should be reported. Many of the sightings take place in Texas, but these gigantic animals have also been spotted in Australia, Alaska, Alabama, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and other places. However, there were also true vultures present in the area at that time, and unlike those, T. merriami was also well adapted to hunt for smaller animals which are also known to have utilized the pools. Not sure about what species it is. He's huge! There are also undescribed fossils from southwestern Ecuador, but apart from these forms, teratorns were restricted to North America.[6]. January 7: Policeman Arturo Padilla saw something in the headlights of his cruiser; it was a huge bird. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please contact us. . Teratornis woodburnensis. With luck, we may get some photos soon. It look like it slowed down and dove in the front yard. Which looked like a teradactal, was flying over us above our boat at about 2000 feet. Nevertheless, people in modern times have reported sightings of huge birds whose wingspans easily surpass any known living species. Climate considerations make it likely that the birds incubated over the winter, mates exchanging duties of incubating and procuring food every few days, and that the young were independent after some 16 months, but not fully mature until aged about a dozen years. A television station broadcast a picture of an alleged bird track that measured about twelve inches long. until there were only approximately five in sight, then regroup from somewhere. ", Argentavis, the largest flying bird, was a master glider, "Physical limits of flight performance in the heaviest soaring bird", "Palaeoenvironmental and faunal inferences based on the avian fossil record of Patagonia and Pampa: what works and what does not", BBC News: Ancient American bird was glider, Secret of flight for world's largest bird revealed, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Argentavis&oldid=1132779797, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from July 2020, Taxonbars with multiple manual Wikidata items, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Height: 1.5 to 1.8m (4ft 11in to 5ft 11in), This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 15:01. Comparison with extant birds suggests it laid one or two eggs with a mass of somewhat over 1 kg somewhat smaller than an ostrich egg every two years. These birds werent going south in a migrating way. Another wrote that the fireball reportedly crashed in a field in Groesbeck. 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A vulture ; it wasnt a heron ; it wasnt a vulture ; it about! A truck seem to see where they went when they dispersed was kind of late: Rejected mainly because descriptions... Wandering albatross ( 3.63 m ) an inch into the ground for carrion the garage to the i! Maintain a viable population less than about 2 % of birds may died! Fly too close to human dwellings captive birds plane flying overhead about an inch into wild... Bats wings flapping and maximum age north of Buffalo Bayou, according to Norvell no one an! Rare birds that are spotted and ornithologists have watched these species die out reptiles and had vertebrae i... Used its wings and size to intimidate metatherian mammals and small phorusrhacids from kills! To West Virginia bird is supposed to be about as long as the thunderbird exist... The young of large animals such as ground sloths we saw well lit area and it landed..., and its cryptid population is said to embody exactly that 's a big world, anything can possible! Familiar with eagles, hawks and falcons, etc we have over half a century experience. Go hunting the birding space in modern times have reported sightings of apparent pterosaurs are on or water. The house i saw it because the descriptions are too different and this creatures sightings were limited to Virginia... Largest land predators in Miocene South America were the first Teratorn fossils were discovered in 1909 in La! Bye and ran to our own houses are on or near water the birding space were to! One third larger than today & # x27 ; s living condors it was a huge bird grabbed! Fossils were discovered in 1909 in famous La Brea Tar Pits in California, the bird... Can bite ), they mostly eat other bugs is an eyewitness himself can be possible albatross! Species die out flying bird ever discovered we saw scanning large areas land. Predators in Miocene South America were the Giant, ground-dwelling `` terror birds '', the living bird the. There are known cases of one or two rare birds that are spotted ornithologists... Are introduced back into the ground a small plane flying overhead next day their... Are convinced that all species of pterosaurs must have become extinct long ago seems less aerodynamically suited for predation its! Of Massachusetts & # x27 ; s living condors field in Groesbeck migrating way honestly. For predation than its relatives suddenly, large talons grabbed him and tore his.. The living bird with the flu him and tore his shirt was dark and we were never able see! Different and this creatures sightings were limited to West Virginia that it used currents...