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12-Million-Year-Old Terror Bird Bone Discovered in Colombia

10/11/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A fossilized leg bone of a terror bird from central Colombia was identified.
The team led by Federico J. Degrange and Siobhán Cooke dated the bird to about 12 million years ago.
The discovery shows terror birds thrived as apex predators in Miocene ecosystems alongside giant caimans and other extinct species.
The bone was found in the Tatacoa Desert.
The findings were published in the journal Paleontology.

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Story summary

A fossilized leg bone of a terror bird from central Colombia was identified.
The team led by Federico J. Degrange and Siobhán Cooke dated the bird to about 12 million years ago.
The discovery shows terror birds thrived as apex predators in Miocene ecosystems alongside giant caimans and other extinct species.
The bone was found in the Tatacoa Desert.
The findings were published in the journal Paleontology.