Terror birds were large, flightless predatory birds that lived in South America during the Cenozoic era. They were apex predators in their environments and some species grew to over 10 feet tall. Their lineage originated around 60 million years ago and they thrived for tens of millions of years. However, all terror birds eventually went extinct. The timing of their extinction – and whether it overlapped with the presence of humans in South America – has been a subject of scientific debate.
When did terror birds go extinct?
Based on the fossil record, terror birds disappeared from South America around 2.5 million years ago. The last undisputed fossil evidence of a terror bird is about 3.5 million years old. Some controversial fossils dated to under 1 million years ago have been proposed as more recent terror bird specimens, but most experts consider these dating identifications dubious. So there is broad consensus that all terror birds were extinct well before modern humans evolved in Africa about 300,000 years ago.
Did any terror birds live at the same time as humans?
There is no convincing fossil evidence that terror birds survived long enough to coexist with humans in South America. The terror birds definitively went extinct at least 1 million years before the first people arrived in South America.
Terror birds ruled over South America for roughly 60 million years as apex predators before vanishing in the Pliocene. Humans only arrived on the continent in the late Pleistocene, about 13,000 years ago. All reliable data indicates there was at least a 1 million year temporal gap between the disappearance of the last terror birds and the emergence of humans in the Americas.
Key Facts About Terror Birds
Here are some key facts about terror birds to understand their history:
When did terror birds evolve?
– Terror birds first evolved around 60 million years ago in the early Paleocene epoch. They descended from early predatory bird lineages.
When did they thrive?
– Terror birds proliferated throughout the Cenozoic era from about 60 million to 2.5 million years ago. For over 50 million years, they were apex predators in South America.
What were some key terror bird species?
– Kelenken: One of the largest terror birds, up to 10 feet tall. Lived 15-10 million years ago.
– Titanis: A later terror bird that migrated to North America around 5 million years ago. Grew up to 10 feet tall.
– Phorusrhacids: The most common group of terror birds through the Cenozoic era. Ranged from chicken-sized to 10 feet tall.
Why did they go extinct?
– Climate changes and the arrival of mammalian carnivores like saber-toothed cats likely outcompeted terror birds and led to their extinction around 2.5 million years ago.
Species | Time period | Height |
---|---|---|
Kelenken | 15-10 million years ago | 10 ft |
Titanis | 5 million years ago | 10 ft |
Phorusrhacids | 60-2.5 million years ago | 3-10 ft |
When Did Humans Arrive in South America?
Humans only arrived in South America during the late Pleistocene epoch, well over 1 million years after the last terror bird extinction.
Key dates
– Humans first evolved in Africa about 300,000 years ago
– Humans migrated from Africa and reached Europe/Asia around 50,000 years ago
– The first humans arrived in South America roughly 13,000 years ago
– All terror birds definitively went extinct by 2.5 million years ago
This means at minimum, there was a 1 million year time period between the disappearance of terror birds and the emergence of humans in the Americas. Humans never coexisted with terror birds.
Archaeological sites
– The earliest confirmed human archaeological sites in South America are at Monte Verde, Chile dated to around 14,000 years ago and at Pedra Furada, Brazil dated to over 13,000 years ago. Hundreds of younger sites document human presence.
– There are no legitimate archaeological sites dating a human presence in South America prior to 15,000 years ago.
Migration timelines
– Humans migrated from Siberia to Alaska around 20,000 years ago when sea levels were lower and Beringia connected the continents. They worked their way down the Americas over the next several thousand years.
– This rapid migration reached the southern tip of South America by 14,000 years ago. Humans were very recent arrivals to the continent.
Debunking Claims of Overlap
Despite lack of evidence, some have argued terror birds survived beyond 2.5 million years ago and overlapped with humans. These claims can be debunked:
Alleged later fossils
– A few controversial terror bird fossils like a tibia bone from Uruguay have been erroneously dated to under 1 million years old. But most experts reject these dates as too young.
– Many other supposed finds of more recent terror bird fossils are misidentified bones or fraudulent. None represent definitive evidence.
Myths and cryptozoology
– Stories of living relict terror birds deep in the Amazon have no scientific support and are considered cryptozoological myths. No reliable sightings exist.
– Indigenous legends of giant man-eating birds are too recent and vague to document actual survival of avian megafauna. The legends likely developed long after terror birds went extinct.
Lack of co-occurrence
– There are no archaeological sites, rock shelters, campsites, etc demonstrating association between people and terror birds. Not a shred of evidence points to their coexistence.
Why It Matters
Resolving questions around when terror birds went extinct and if they encountered people is important for several reasons:
Megafauna extinctions
– If terror birds overlapped with humans, it would imply early humans had a role in their extinction by hunting them to extinction. But the evidence doesn’t support this.
First Americans theories
– Debunking claims that terror birds survived until humans arrived bolsters the mainstream view that people only reached the Americas around 15,000 years ago versus earlier disputed pre-Clovis sites.
Paleontology implications
– Establishing the definitive extinction timeline for terror birds helps clarify the broader patterns and drivers of extinctions of South American megafauna in the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
TLDR Recap
– Terror birds were 10 foot tall predatory birds that dominated South America for 60 million years.
– All reliable evidence indicates terror birds went extinct by 2.5 million years ago.
– Humans only reached South America around 15,000 years ago.
– There was absolutely no overlap or contact between terror birds and people. Claims otherwise are false.
– Settling questions around terror bird extinctions helps resolve debates about early humans in the Americas and megafauna extinctions.