Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
541 / Cenozoic
Paraphysornis
Paraphysornis brasiliensis
A deep beak and massive legs made a heavyweight South American terror bird.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 23–16 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Miocene
- Geographic range
- Open woodland and grassland · Brazil
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Paraphysornis?
Paraphysornis (Paraphysornis brasiliensis) was an extinct organism known from About 23–16 million years ago, with a range in Open woodland and grassland · Brazil.
Life and ecology
It walked and ran after small-to-medium prey and likely scavenged as well.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Paraphysornis disappear?
Miocene changes in vegetation and predator communities are possible context; the cause of the genus's disappearance is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Paraphysornis?
A near-complete skeleton preserves skull, spine and limbs.
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?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS