Its believed it got lost during migratory flight. Sign up for a new account in our community. He saw the featherless long-tailed flying creature in Crestview, Florida, at 11:45 a.m., on November 14, 2012, and reported the encounter to Jonathan Whitcomb. 5 feet. I hope to get more details soon. I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none. I remember trying to research the phenomenon at the time I originally received the stories, and not finding much. .. July 31, 2007 in Featured News, Videos and Articles. A giant fireball was seen shooting across the Texas sky Tuesday night, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul touring new mezcal around Houston, Watch: Houston drivers destroy their cars on popular bar's ramp, Houston facing storms, return to typical winter weather this week, After 147 years, this Houston-area ranch is available to buy, Activists call for Houston taqueria shooter to be charged, Alperen Sengun breaks records held by Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq. Alisha Kegley Pate, who submitted a report to AMS, captured the meteor going down in flames as it entered Earth's atmosphere while she was filming frogs croaking at her ranch in Frelsburg, Texas. Yes, of course, that's entirely possible, but they won't be ones with 20' wing spans, those are just too hard to miss--especially when those professionals are watching the "teratorns" habitat for Condors with an eagle eye already (no pun intended). Herzog responded: "Seriously? Today, most new wild Condors are introduced back into the wild through conservationists breeding programs with captive birds. It probably preferred to scavenge for carrion, and it is possible that it habitually chased metatherian carnivores such as Thylacosmilidae from their kills. It has been estimated that the minimal velocity for the wing of A. magnificens is about 11 metres per second (36ft/s) or 40 kilometres per hour (25mph). If you shop through our affiliate links, at no cost to you, we will receive a small commission and we will be very thankful to you for that! she didnt say anything until later that evening at v.f.w. It appears likely, therefore, that the average and maximum age reached by these creatures was fairly large possibly some 50-100 years; compare with ostrich at perhaps 60-70, and parrots at perhaps 80-120 at most if they were to mature and reproduce and replace members that had died young for whatever reason. I've made several posts about Thunderbirds on this forum and live in San Antonio and have never heard of any recent sightings. In the early 1940s, writer Robert R. Lyman spotted a Thunderbird sitting on a road near Coudersport, Pennsylvania. An individual mute swan, which may have lost the power of flight due to extreme weight, was found to have weighed 23kg (51lb). For news updates, follow Chaz Miller on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. [16] Argentavis may have used mountain slopes and headwinds to take off, and probably could manage to do so from even gently sloping terrain with little effort. commented Jessica Coleman. Physical characteristics Currently accepted estimates: Wingspan: 5.8-8 m (19 - 26 ft) Wing area: nearly 7 m (75 square ft) Wing loading: c. 11.5 kg/m Length: 3.5 m (11.5 ft) Height: 1.7-2 m (5.6-6.5 ft) Weight: 60-80 kg (140-180 lb) For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the Wandering Albatross (3.63 m). Mortality must have been very low; to maintain a viable population less than about 2% of birds may have died each year. Of course, Argentavis suffered hardly any predation, and mortality was mainly from old age, accidents and disease. Sometimes there seems to be so much talk, that at least. Their legs were similar to an Andean condor's, but stouter, and the feet could hold prey for tearing off pieces, but could not exert a very forceful grip like birds of prey. It probably doesnt sound too scary, but trust me if you would have seen this thing you wouldve been scared too! First, the basics: the largest known living flying bird (as opposed to flightless ones like ostriches), the wandering albatross, has a wingspan from 8 to 11.5 feet. I had just about convinced myself it was in my head till I read this. Thunderbird of Crytozoology. Mass estimates for these azhdarchids are on the order of 200250kg (440550lb) and their estimated height on the ground was roughly analogous to an elephant or small giraffe.[13]. it is 33 inches tall with an average 13.5 to 16.5 inch wide flower wing span, in a few individual flowers the . Its believed they became extinct sixty-five million years ago. Turns out that the mysterious blazing sky phenomenonwas a fireball. Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul are bringing their latest project to Houston, Houston drivers are smashing their cars on the ramp at this popular downtown bar, Tigner Ranch near Houston listed for $8.8M after 147 years in same family, Activists want man who killed Houston taqueria robber to be charged, Rockets' Alperen Sengun breaks records held by Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, Where the Houston Astros stack up in MLB Networks position rankings, Cricut is cutting some great deals for National Craft Month, Dont miss the Tory Burch Semi-Annual Sale, Where to buy tickets to the Elton John farewell concert, New Chrome extension can save you hundreds. One would delta-back the wings and dive for about five thousand feet before pulling-up and joining the group. Fossil remains of the largest known flying pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus, were found in Big Bend National Park, Texas, in 1972, four years before the first sightings of Big Bird. I could hear when the bullet hit the wing. Well, if the news of recent gigantic boars are any indication, I can't see why eagles, vultures or other large birds can grow to a larger proportion for whatever reason. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Teratorn. [12] Taking into account the strong legs, stout claws, and a gripping power not quite as developed as in eagles, it is rather likely that Merriam's Teratorn would have hunted for aquatic prey in the manner of an osprey, which also provides a reasonable explanation of how such large numbers of powerful, well-flying birds could have become stuck in the asphalt. The furor faded when sightings ceased. Live Pterosaur Sightings in Virginia. I agree that the man may have exaggerated his story after seeing something like a condor or vulture. The first teratorn fossils were discovered in 1909 in famous La Brea Tar Pits in California, the United States. Its wing span was huge and it stood about four feet tall. In fact, some studies of skull morphology indicated that the T.merriami were incapable of tearing pieces of flesh off of carcasses in the manner of condors. It may have flown and lived much like the modern Andean condor, scanning large areas of land from aloft for carrion. I was surprised at seeing such a huge bird. Mortality must have been very low; to maintain a viable population less than about 2% of birds may have died each year. Both the Spotted Owl and Spix's macaw are nearly extinct because of rapid deforrestation and in the case of hte spotted owl, because there isn't expansive territory to sustain thier numbers. As a rule of thumb, a wing loading of 25kg/m2 is considered the limit for avian flight. I think 20' wingspan is a gross exaggeration. Brittney Griner surprises fans at MLK Day fest, 'Absolutely': Why Sean Payton is open to taking Texans HC job, New Texas cruise terminal now serving the worlds largest ships, What C.J. Argentavis may have used mountain slopes and headwinds to take off, and probably could manage to do so from even gently sloping terrain with little effort. To view more reports and videos of the giant fireball, visit here. Ornithologists and zoologists watch the American southwest carefully mostly for the purpose of tracking Condors. I believe it lived on the lake. Their story made . 1967 or 1968. Subsequently, they made the public aware that all birds were protected by state and/or federal law. I was only 17 at the time. Your email address will not be published. Birds with larger wingspans, such as the astonishing 23 foot wide Giant Teratorn, are extinct. We both looked up and saw a really huge bird-like figure. From: Jusluckytoo@cs.comTo: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: HUGE Birds Flocking of appx. Strange sightings of a huge flying creature have been reported as recently as six months ago. Not kill it. We went inside and just sat there for a minute. Alternative viewpoints note that many old world vultures possess large bills, and a longer bill is a common feature among scavenging raptors, as this allow them to probe deeper into large carcasses - larger than those fed upon by active-hunting raptors. While it is still considered the heaviest flying bird of all time, Argentavis was likely surpassed in wingspan by Pelagornis sandersi which is estimated to have possessed wings some 20% longer than Argentavis and which was described in 2014.[1][2]. However, there were also true vultures present in the area at that time, and unlike those, T. merriami was also well adapted to hunt for smaller animals which are also known to have utilized the pools. This is seemingly true as well of Argentavis but other teratorns were likely far less ponderous considering the substantial size differences. The heaviest extant flying bird is not heavier than 20kg (there are several contenders, among which are the European Great Bustard and the African Kori Bustard). Over a hundred specimens have been found, mostly from the La Brea Tar Pits. It looked like an oversize buzzard. Giant birds called teratorns (or wonder birds) once flew over New Mexico. We both lived REALLY close to it. Teratornis (Greek: "wonder" (teretos), "bird" (ornis)[2]) was a genus of huge North American birds of prey the best-known of the teratorns - of which, two species are known to have existed: Teratornis merriami and It's easy! No, I think if teratorns still existed in the southwest in numbers sufficient enough to sustain them, they'd have been spotted by now or at the very least their amazingly huge nests would have been found.. it's not like the south west is covered in thick dense forest. [12] The heaviest extant flying birds are known to weigh up to 21kg (46lb) (there are several contenders, among which are the European great bustard and the African kori bustard). October 4, 2014-New Florence, PA-Unknown Giant Bird 15 Feet Over Car It was during the late afternoon when the witness traveling on a rural road about 2 miles from the New Florence power generating station was startled when a huge bird passed about 15 feet over the top of his vehicle. ", Stargazing | A bright green comet not seen since the Ice Age visible in HoustonSpacecraft | NASA satellite crashes on Earth after orbiting our planet for 38 yearsClimate | NASA says 2022 was among the hottest years everand it's getting worseRoundup | The 10 most important things that happened in space in 2022. Where do the Astros stack up in MLB Networks position rankings? Well, I was sitting in the deer blind for about an hour, and had yet to see anything. Beauty Of Birds strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. I know what I saw.. It was cloudy and the sky was all orange so all I saw was the shape, but it was the same size because the wing span was about my height. Not to be allowed to go extinct, scientists at the University of New Mexico repopulated the spring with captive specimens to ensure the future of this tiny, weird animal in New Mexico. The ability to fly is not a simple question of weight, except in extreme cases. Other than the above-mentioned, This Tiny Restaurant In New Mexico Always Has A Line Out The Door, And Theres A Reason Why, Get Away From It All Each Month Of The Year With These 12 Magnificent Escapes In New Mexico, The Most Epic Indoor Playground In New Mexico Will Bring Out The Kid In Everyone, The Best Burgers In New Mexico Are Served At This Iconic Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant, The Creepy Small Town In New Mexico With Insane Paranormal Activity, 10 Urban Legends In New Mexico To Keep You Awake At Night, 9 Spine-Tingling Hauntings Said To Be True In New Mexico, Heres What Life In New Mexico Looked Like In 1935. ABC 13's chief meteorologist Travis Herzog also received reports of the sighting and asked his followers on Facebook to share footage they captured of the unusually bright meteor and submit their first-person accounts to the AMS. [3] The species apparently had stout, strong legs and large feet which enabled it to walk with ease. Argentavis territories measured probably more than 500 square km, which the birds screened for food, possibly utilizing a generally north-south direction to avoid being slowed by adverse winds. Just a stab in the dark you wouldn't be thinking of terror birds would you? Anyways, my father and I fish and hunt all the time. [15] Especially for takeoff, it would have depended on the wind. There is a lot of area in the Texas hill country around San Antonio like the Devil's Backbone up by San Marcos ,Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and other places for a large bird to live,with only catlle ranchers or sheep and goat ranches around but few homes. UM-Bot, ", "Glossary. Its breeding habits are so slow and unpredictable, and it pretty much can't sustain or repopulate it's own numbers even with nearly 200 of them left in the wild. Although a creature such as the thunderbird may exist, its numbers are low and probably located in more unreachable areas. January 1: Tracey Lawson and Cousin Jackie Davies were playing outside when they saw the creature. Love New Mexico? yes! They roam the state, haunt our dreams, and play tricks on our imaginations especially when we are alone on those dark, dark nights! According to Mexican folklore you are supposed to whistle back to it, say curse words, and stay out of the darkness, especially if you are a not so good person yourself. It is probable that it used thermal currents as well. To get their powers, though, the shapeshifters must murder someone close to them. Today, we take. . Their bite is non-venomous, but their spray can be caustic. One of our favorite New Mexico cryptids isnt really a cryptid at all so much as a Native American legend known as the Thunderbird. By Thunderbirds exist in many cultures and myths, and sometimes, New Mexico natives swear they still see this supposedly extinct creature from time to time in the Doa Ana Mountains near Las Cruces. Till this day I still dont know what it was but I sure would like to find out! It was a bird-like creature with red eyes, a monkey-like face and no beak. This thing was huge, Im talking about 6 ft. tall. I wonder what side of town the thing was spotted in. Dash cam footage captured the moment a fireball could be seen flying across the night sky in front of Lake Belton High School. This species seems less well suited for predation aerodynamically than its relatives. Comparison with extant birds suggests it laid one or two eggs with a mass of somewhat over 1 kg somewhat smaller than an ostrich egg every two years. We were walking together talking when all of a sudden we both stopped. Canceled | Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. I looked through my binoculars and, after a few moments, nearly dropped them at what I saw. These birds werent going south in a migrating way. Well, theyre mythical for a reason, right? [6] For comparison, the living bird with the largest wingspan is the wandering albatross, averaging 3m (9ft 10in) and spanning up to 3.7m (12ft 2in). Stroud's announcement means for the Texans. The largest known flying creatures are a group of pterosaurs named azhdarchids, extinct flying animals that existed during the age of the dinosaurs and died out at the end of the Cretaceous. They stayed around for about 45 55 minutes, then just drifted south until we werent able to focus on them any longer. Skull structure suggests that it ate most of its prey whole rather than tearing off pieces of flesh. My granny calls them lechusa (le-chew-sa) and they are considered evil and bad luck depending on color. Southwest apologized for ruining Christmas. A. magnificens, sometimes called the giant teratorn, is an extinct species known . If youve lived here a while, you may have heard of most of these New Mexico urban legends. Unlike extant condors and vultures, the other species of teratorns generally had long, eagle-like beaks and are believed to have been active predators, being less ponderous than Argentavis. I actually think folks are seeing either a Golden Eagle, a Vulture or a Condor (the condor being the least likely, although not impossible) All three of those birds can have wingspans up to 15' but on average around 12'. Anyone with questions or comments feel free to email me at hedorah_85@yahoo.com. Beautyofbirds.com's team of experts includes veterinarians, biologists, environmentalists and active bird watchers. a large animal took off into the air. They were the first flying reptiles and had vertebrae. However, Spanish-speaking areas seem to see more goat-sucking action. Argentavis magnificens (literally magnificent Argentine bird) is the largest flying bird ever discovered. Another wrote that the fireball reportedly crashed in a field in Groesbeck. "My husband was in the garage when he saw it zip by. No body would believe me. my mother was outside one day and thought she saw a small plane flying overhead. Giant Birds. In the comments, hundreds gave their accounts of what they witnessed and uploaded clips captured from their dash cams and home security cameras, including Herzog who shared a video his brother and sister-in-law filmed in San Antonio. In order for this Teratorn to sustain it's numbers, there would have to be several hundreds of them. he came in shook up. 5 min read. New World vultures such as the condor are thought to be the closest living relations to Argentavis and other teratorns. When hunting actively, A. magnificens would probably have swooped from high above onto their prey, which they usually would have been able to grab, kill, and swallow without landing. However, they may too have lain in wait from a ground position, which would render them likely grounded until heavy winds allowed them to fly. Skeletal remains show that this relative of the vulture had a wingspan of more than 20 feet and weighed over 120 pounds - large enough to snatch a small child. January 1: Tracey Lawson and Cousin Jackie Davies were playing outside when they saw the creature. All Rights Reserved. It flew directly over us, about twenty yards above us, and as I turned my inner tube along its path, it perched on a tree about fifty yards past us. No one can entirely agree upon what exactly it is. We were never able to see where they went when they dispersed. They just seemed to disappear, then return. The American South West is truly home to the world's largest flighted birds, so it's not surprising to me that folks in San Antonio would be seeing one of their huge feathered friends and mistaking it for something other than what it really is. It was among the largest flying birds ever to exist. While this bird, sighted in the Rio Grande Valley in the 1970s, left no evidence behind other than sightings and one attack over a brief time period, there are theories. Interestingly enough, the Rio Grande region on the south of the border has long had legends and sightings of a creature that seems very similar to what has been seen in Texas. I look over my shoulder expecting someone coming to get me, but instead my sister points up to a big bird that perched itself on top of the next building that we were leaving from. I went to the front and I did not see it. Estimations of the wingspan of the largest species like Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx exceeds 10 m, with less conservative estimates being 12 m or more. The bill was large, rather slender, and had a hooked tip with a wide gape. Skull structure suggests that it ate most of its prey whole rather than tearing off pieces of flesh. With lots of local lore come lots of potential cryptid sightings, and honestly, were here for it. [6] Indeed, it seems to have been better adapted for utilizing a short run into the wind from an elevated location as condors do, as its legs are proportionally smaller and its stride less than in condors. You will find stories about these beasts all around the world. [10][11] For the T.merriami, small prey such as frogs, lizards, young birds, and rodents were swallowed whole, while carrion would have been fed on in a manner similar to that of condors or vultures. FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Residents strolling through a Cinco Ranch neighborhood Monday morning were joined by an unexpected guest -- an 11-foot long alligator. They aren't flocking birds. They needed large open area suchs as the Great Plains or the Argentine Pampas to navigate and hunt." "The loss of the Buffalo would have a devastating effect on the migratory habits of a bird of such size." He's huge! To keep the little hamsters fed (who, in turn, run tirelessly to keep the lights on), we partner with trusted brands as their affiliates. Weekly free ghost stories delivered to your inbox. I just received another email regarding a pterosaur sighting in Virginia. Suddenly, large talons grabbed him and tore his shirt. What is sacred? Alverico Guajardo spotted the creature and described it as looking like a bat. Mistaken identity does likely account for some of the sightings, but what of the giant birds seen taking off from trees? This bird, sometimes called the Giant Teratorn, is an extinct species known (as of 2006) from three sites from the late Miocene (6 million years before present) of central and northwestern Argentina, where a good sample of fossils has been obtained. Teratorns - The Monster Birds 188,577 views May 10, 2020 7.8K Dislike Share Save Ben G Thomas 543K subscribers Millions of years ago giant birds of prey ruled the Americas - the Teratorns.. Okay, so I was looking through the page and I saw a story about someone who saw a really big bird and I remembered about something I saw once. Fortunately, the web is far bigger today and I have discovered some intriguing information about huge bird sightings. Its a little late. Reptoids Reptilian Bipeds Cryptids or Space Aliens? In 1988, the springs dried up and the isopods died. From: CRSTLPNTRA@aol.comTo: obiwan@ghosts.orgSubject: big birdsDate: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 5:15 PM. Argentavis is an Avian from Late Miocene Argentina and the biggest flying bird ever. Teratorn sightings in New Mexico and beyond Editor Mountain Voice 262 subscribers Subscribe 4K views 5 years ago Teratorn sightings in New Mexico and beyond. Thunderbird: Open to speculation because these birds, most often sighted from Pennsylvania to the northern Midwest, have been said to resemble teratorns and pterodactyls.