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Scientists Identify World's Biggest-Ever Flying Bird

posted by n1 on Wednesday July 09 2014, @04:06AM   Printer-friendly
from the some-time-after-dinosaurs dept.
/dev/random

lhsi and dryriver write:

The fossil remains of a bird [abstract] has shown that it has the largest known avian wingspan; twice the size of the wandering albatross, the largest living bird. Simulations suggest that the long wings meant that it was an excellent glider, and could soar for miles over the ocean without flapping its wings.

Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found. With an estimated 20-24-foot wingspan, the creature surpassed size estimates based on wing bones from the previous record holder a long-extinct bird named Argentavis magnificens and was twice as big as the Royal Albatross, the largest flying bird today.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @04:31AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 09 2014, @04:31AM (#66356)

    So is it bigger than the pterodactyls from Jurassic Park?

    • (Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday July 09 2014, @04:36AM

      by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 09 2014, @04:36AM (#66358)
      Nope, those were bigger. The article was spectacularly wrong. Good catch!
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      • (Score: 2) by Daniel Dvorkin on Wednesday July 09 2014, @06:31AM

        by Daniel Dvorkin (1099) on Wednesday July 09 2014, @06:31AM (#66384) Journal

        "Spectacularly wrong" how? Pterosaurs weren't birds.

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        • (Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:17AM

          by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:17AM (#66393)
          Sssh.. don't you want to see him try to correct somebody later?
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    • (Score: 2) by lhsi on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:56AM

      by lhsi (711) on Wednesday July 09 2014, @07:56AM (#66403) Journal

      A whopping 4 sentences is too long? I would ask if you're sure you're on the right site but your attention span has probably taken you somewhere else already...

      Anyway, for more information [about.com], there was no such creature as a pterodactyl, although what you probably think is one did have a longer wingspan, but was a flying reptile and not a bird.

      1. There's no such creature as a "pterodactyl."

      It's unclear at what point "pterodactyl" became a synonym for pterosaurs in general, and for Pterodactylus and Pteranodon in particular, but the fact remains that this is the word most people (and Hollywood screenwriters) use. Working paleontologists never refer to "pterodactyls," instead focusing on individual pterosaur genera (and woe betide any scientist who confuses Pteranodon with Pterodactylus!)

      2. Pteranodon was much bigger than Pterodactylus...

      The largest species of Pteranodon attained wingspans of up to 30 feet, much larger than any flying birds alive today. By comparison, the earlier Pterodactylus (from the late Jurassic period) was a relative runt, the wingspans of the largest individuals spanning only eight feet or so (and most species boasting wingspans of only two or three feet, well within the current avian range.)

  • (Score: 2) by AnythingGoes on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:09AM

    by AnythingGoes (3345) on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:09AM (#66361)
    More rising thermals to allow greater lift capacity.
    Even today, the royal albatrosses cannot take off if there is no wind - just too much weight, and the nestlings need to lose a lot of weight before they can even try to take off..
    Probably why they just died out - lost the ability to fly and became extinct, or evolved to a smaller size..

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by EvilJim on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:53AM

    by EvilJim (2501) on Wednesday July 09 2014, @05:53AM (#66375) Journal

    So does this mean they can now build a jumbo jet that doesn't flap it's wings in turbulence?