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This fossil of the pseudo-toothed bird Pelagornis chilensis, of which 70 % are preserved, was found in 5 to 10-million-year-old rock layers in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Including its feathers, this specimen likely reached a wing span of six meters. Thus, Pelagornis chilensis is considered the world’s largest flying bird. The tooth-like projections are the jagged edges of the jawline, which were covered with keratin in live animals.

Details

  • Title: Bony-toothed bird
  • Location: Chile
  • Type: cast of skeleton
  • Rights: Sven Tränkner Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
  • weight: 16-29 kg
  • size: 6 m
  • scientific name: Pelagornis chilensis
  • geological Age: Miocene
  • age: 12 - 6 mil. years

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