Usually when Antarctica is mentioned, images of penguins gliding on the ice come to mind. But recent discoveries take us back some 50 million years, to a time when the continent was much warmer and home to much more terrifying beings: ancient birds of prey. Carolina Acosta Hospitale and colleagues excavated the La Mezeta Formation, an Eocene sediment on Seymour Island in Antarctica. During these studies, they made an unexpected discovery.

“We have never encountered large predators in Antarctic biomes before. Diurnal birds of prey and small insectivores have been known, but large predatory creatures have never been discovered,” shared Dr. Acosta Hospitalece Paleontology Electronica.

Unlike the small mammal remains usually found here, the researcher discovered two large claws, 8 centimeters long, that may have belonged to a large flightless predator known as the “terrible bird”.

This term is generally used for birds of the extinct family Phorusrhacidae, which are considered fast predators. Although claws from Antarctica imply that they belong to this group, the absence of the rest of the skeleton makes definitive classification difficult. Scientists suggest that this creature may have been around 2 meters tall and weighed around 100 kilos, making it the dominant predator of its time.

These birds are thought to feed mainly on small and medium-sized vertebrates, using their long claws and sharp beaks for hunting, thus serving as the continent’s top predators. This discovery is of great importance for understanding the Antarctic ecosystem of the Eocene period. It is hoped that new fossil finds will reveal more details about these fearsome birds and the environment they live in.

“Due to significant erosion of the Antarctic islands, we receive new fossils every year. This continued opening-up by erosion offers us a unique opportunity to delve deeper into information about ancient Antarctic ecosystems,” said Acosta Hospitaleche.

Ultimately, this study adds an important touch to the picture of ancient continental ecosystems, providing a new perspective on the dynamics and diversity of life in Antarctica in the distant past. Source