Diatryma Skeleton (Was: Forelimbs of "Terror Birds")

[Mike Taylor <mike@tecc.co.uk>]

> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 08:53:41 -0500
> From: "Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>
> 
> _Diatryma_ (and its kin/senior synonym? _Gastornis_, featured in the
> first part of WWPB) are not "terror birds" (= phorusrhacids).  I
> don't know of the complete forelimb of any gastornithid is known,
> but they what is known is that they were highly reduced (perhaps
> more so than shown in the documentary).

For what it's worth, I took a photo of the Smithsonian "Diatryma" when
I was in D.C last year -- it's at
        http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/galleries/dc10/p-013.html
Those sure are small forelimbs!

A few other photos linked from there may also be of interest.

 _/|_    _______________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor   <mike@miketaylor.org.uk>   www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "Leopards break into the temple and drink the sacrifical
         chalices dry; this occurs repeatedly, again and again:
         finally it can be reckoned upon beforehand and becomes a
         part of the ceremony" -- Franz Kafka.