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460 / Cenozoic
Kelenken
Kelenken guillermoi
A seventy-centimeter skull and hooked beak armed one of the largest terror birds.
- Time range
- About 15 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Miocene
- Geographic range
- Open woodland and grassland · Argentina
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Kelenken?
Kelenken (Kelenken guillermoi) was an extinct organism known from About 15 million years ago, with a range in Open woodland and grassland · Argentina.
Life and ecology
It chased medium prey on long legs and struck or tore with the beak.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Kelenken disappear?
Climate and predator-community change ended the genus.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Kelenken?
Skull, lower leg and toe bones constrain height and predatory anatomy.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS