Llallawavis

Llallawavis Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Reconstructed skeleton
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cariamiformes
Family:	†Phorusrhacidae
Genus:	†Llallawavis Degrange et al., 2015[1]
Species:	†L. scagliai
Binomial name
†Llallawavis scagliai Degrange et al., 2015[1]

Llallawavis scagliai (magnificent bird of Scaglia) is a large, extinct predatory

Description

The fossil, discovered in 2010 in sediment among the cliffs above La Estafeta beach in the lower part of the Playa Los Lobos Allo Formation of around 3.5 million years ago to the Late Pliocene. The terror bird is known from a nearly intact skeleton, including the complete palate, complete trachea, skull, voice box, and eye bones. L. scagliai was a medium-sized phorusrhacid around 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) tall and weighed around 18 kilograms (40 lb). lived in Argentina approximately 3.5 million years ago during the Pliocene.^[1]

Paleobiology

Llallawavis scagliai likely roamed in grassland environments, much like the rest of its Mesembriornithine kin.^[2] CT scans of its inner ear show that it could only hear frequencies between about 380 and 4230 hertz, and probably had a deep voice to match.^[3] These same CT scans also show that the inner ear of Llallawavis is fine tuned to sudden changes in movement, likely from quickly turning when trying to catch prey. Such adaptations are seen in other predators that hunt in open habitats that need to chase fast and agile prey.

This is corroborated by studies of a close relative of Llallawavis, the larger