Too Much Terror: A Gigantic Terror Bird (Cariamiformes: Phorusrhacidae) from the Middle Miocene of La Venta, Colombia

Phorusrhacids correspond to a group of birds considered to be apex predators, which are a common element of the American fossil Cenozoic avifauna, especially in Argentina, where it is not unusual to find at least two species of terror birds. Nevertheless, the presence of more than one species of terror bird outside Argentina is null. Here we report a second terror bird from the middle Miocene of La Venta locality. The new specimen could reach approximately 180 kg, being about 15% larger than the previous report of a terror bird for the locality. Although it is not possible to completely discard the possibility of these two specimens belonging to a dimorphic species, morphological differences may indicate so. Certainly, the presence of two gigantic terror birds coexisting in the La Venta locality represents an interesting scenario for further studies on their ecology and niche partitioning; this could be an argument for the presence of large open areas within the forests and wetlands of La Venta, further supporting the complex and diverse ecosystems in this region during the Middle Miocene period.