Re: DROMORNITHIDS, GASTORNITHIDS & DUCKS

[Raymond Ancog <rayancog@pacific.net.ph>]

David Marjanovic wrote:

> Before 1997, there was no evidence for carnivory, and dromornithids were
> regarded as herbivores, but then the enormous skull of *Bullockornis planei*
> was discovered.


> Stephen Wroe (1999): Killer Kangaroos and Other Murderous Marsupials.
> Scientific American, May 1999.

Gotta check this one out. Thanks for the ref. Hmmm, first carnivorous roos, 
then meat-loving "ducks." What's gonna be the next Aussie surprise. Killer 
koalas?

> BTW, *Gastornis* ( = "*Diatryma*") is now also considered to have been
> carnivorous -- the skull is seriously overdesigned for herbivory, and yet it
> is more gracile than that of *Bullockornis* aka "The Bird from Hell" aka
> "The Demon Duck of Doom".

But as recently as a mid-90's Natural History special issue about 
dinosaurs, diatrymids were considered to have been herbivores. That article 
compared them to the New Zealand takahe in terms of beak morphology. And if 
I'm not mistaken, *Diatryma* was said to have been built for less speed (a 
waddler, again (?) like the takahe) than say the phororhascids.


Raymond Thaddeus C. Ancog
Mines and Geosciences Bureau
Philippines