Terror Birds of Kaimere
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Phorusrhacids are large predatory birds. While they do not hold the title of apex predator on Kaimere as they did on Earth, these 'vassal' predators do play keystone roles in Kaimere's forests and prairies. Three species populate the known world today.
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I’ve always loved these guys, they’re just so bizarre yet also so familiar. Due to their Theropod-like proportions, truly the Terror Birds showcase how avian Dinosaurs (and other surviving archosaurian reptiles) still were incredibly hard to keep from the top of the food chain.
I mean, they *are* Theropods after all 😉
It's a shame they were susceptible to extinction, especially that humans were highly unlikely involved in their demise in this case. Just simple changes to the environment where most of the Terror Birds that could not adapt (along with a lot of their main prey being gone) went extinct (all gone in South America) and perhaps one of the last few that lasted a little longer and migrated to the southern parts of North America (like Titanis) but were than forced into major competition against a lot of mammalian predators despite that the last of the terror birds have remained as one of the most successful apex predators (even if it was short lived), especially for a bird co-existing with the rest being that of mammals.
Would've been kinda cool (and downright scary) if these birds were still around (albeit likely rare and only found in places with very little human activity)
Smilodons: lol
The terror birds were the were the attempted comeback by the dinosaurs
When you think about it kaimere can be boiled down to. Man I wonder what would happen if Dinosaurs and people lived together. And thus the greatest “what if?” scenario was created. Kaimere.
It’s really interesting to learn that terror birds We’re mostly ambush predators. I sort of always assumed that they were pursuit predators just because of how efficient bird respiration is in comparison to us, mammals. I guess these animals subverts, typical nature trends in a couple different ways though lol.
A tame or domestic terror bird is a really cool idea! Too bad it doesn’t work out most of the time. It’s interesting, how their intelligence is the nail in the coffin for this concept, because intelligent animals usually make great pets. I guess this is only to a certain extent, though.
Yes indeed! Ben was an invaluable resource in dispelling some of the preconceptions I had about terror birds.
Did have fun flipping that script a bit. The very intelligence that makes tame individuals potentially good pets makes them nightmares when they reach maturity.
Yeah, our bias towards other big flightless birds in the modern day - ratites - tends to lead us to assume that such animals were runners.
Well nonavian theropods had that same respiration but most of them were also ambush predators although their respiratory system means that a non-avian theropod of equal size as a tiger would almost certainly have much more stamina, which explains why many theropods are slower on the ground than carnivorous mammals but thought to have better stamina.
@@extraordinarytv5451 Again, we kinda just assume that big long-legged flightless birds are runners thanks to all the similar birds in our own time being such sprinters.
@@glarnboudin4462 true. Although I have to say the ones that were cordial and chased down horses in the plains are demon seed.
i like how the largest of them all, the urushai is like a supersized analogy of the Brontornis. while the Harkundi is more like a Kelenken that adapted to a more open habitat and adapted to the niche of something like earths Cheetah
Forget Brontornis, that monster is the long lost cousin of the Brutornis from King Kong
Once again you blew my mind. I love the idea that there are niches in Kaimere's ecosystem that don't exist on earth. And it makes sense, given the difference in size between the big mammalian predators and the megaraptorans
Well, in reality, trophic niches are a great actuality since the beginning of life herself !
In every biome and ecosystem, there several "level" in with several species belong.
The species of a specific level are upper and dominant on the ones of the inferior levels, such they are themselves inferiors and dominated by the ones from the next level above them. At the exception to the very last at the top who are the level which belong the apex carnivores.
Here, in this video, there 3 trophic niches, or levels.
With cats and canids in the lower, mostly generalists species.
With medium theropods that will feed on medium games.
And the ultimate apex, the Zentaur, who will eat medium to bigger games.
The concept of the Trophic niches aren't very different from the one of the Food Chain.
But it's more about the places in which predators will fitt to avoid competion between them by targeted preys of their own level.
For example, in Savannah Africa, we can say there 3 trophic niches or levels.
The first and lowest one with species such Jackals or Honey Badger, who will eat only preys of the same size than them, also smalls.
The second level, at the middle, with species like Painted Wild Dogs or Cheetahs that go after medium games.
And the top and last level with Big Cats such Lions, Leopards or Hyenas who will eat medium to big games.
To be more shorter, trophic niches or levels are mostly defined by the size of the predators and the preys, with predators choosing which preys specifically they will hunt following their own size, and will after that which species will be threatened or not by the others.
For example, a Fox will never be able to hurt a Tiger, and the Tiger will never (except in a very rarisim occurence) be able to kill the Fox.
Because the first only hunt smalls games because his size forced him to hunt only these latter, and the second because he can't catch such small games because his size allow him to attack only medium to big games, these latter as quick than the smaller species like the Fox.
It's that a trophic niches or levels.
And they aren't unique to Kaimere. Earth is full of that everywhere !
Terror Bird Tuesday!
IT IS TIME
My favorite is the Rohakundi, but I like how the Fireback has a crest reminiscent of the dinosaur Cryolophosaurus.
The Ru'Kel was both initially thought to be an arboreal Terror Bird both in Kaimere universe lore and both during his conception.
Because, when Keenan imagined it for the first time, he don't made it a deadly parrot.
It's only after seeing how parrot are adaptable that he remade it as on of them.
But good to see that his initial idea manage to live under the form of the Rohakundi !
*after k-pg extinction* mammals:yes! The archosaurian oppressors are finally gone.
Phorusrhacids:*BONJOUR*
Phorusrachids and sebeccids both!
I like the Cryolophosaurus-like head crests of the Urushai !
Absolutely! Was inspired by Allosaurus specifically
I really like the terror birds in Kaimere. I think the Fireback looks awesome and it's very dangerous to Kaimerans but also living in the forests with the Zentaurs but can prey on the hukolgur sloths.
Some great stuff you got here! Phorusrhacids are badass and I'm glad they've made it in the savage planet of Kaimere!
Heck yeah!!
It’d be cool to see a terror bird converge to fill the role of a large non avian theropod predator like trex
As someone who works with birds I very much enjoyed this episode. Keep up the great work!
I hope that there is many specie of big giant terrestrial ground birds on Kaimere !
Because if there is several specie of Terror Birds outside and inside the Known World and the Genyornis Dromornithid inside the Known World, already knowing how competitive this latter region is, there no excuse that the existence of others kind of big ground birds like these is impossible !
The picture at 8:13 and 11:58 and the one at 8:17 and 12:02 is from mine ! (I'm super happy !!!!).
I will give the context.
Picture at 8:13 an 11:58
Title : The Cheni's Killers.
A trio of Harkundis have attacked a small group of Chenis camels on the Houze Prairie.
Two of them manage to get a kill, the third one not.
He will try to grab a little from his closest congener, but this latter, due to the small size of the reward, will not allow him to get some pieces.
Fanart and tribute inspired by Burian Zdenek and Charle R. Knight pictures of Phorusrhacos.
Picture at 8:17 and 12:02
Title : The Terror Birds' Feast.
A bunch of Harkundis succeeded in bringing down a male Prairie Elk (Megaloceros sp.), having taken advantage of the end of the deer breeding season, having made him physically weak after the season's ruts and slabs and the annual loss of wood, one of which broke off during the fight.
But the carnivorous birds must move quickly and eat as much of the carcass as possible.
Indeed, already several scavengers, a Golden Teratorn, a Black Teratorn, three Kaimeran Jackals (two full adults males (old/first design. the two upper) and one normal young male (second design. the thid lower of the first two)) have been already attracted by the sent of fresh blood.
A Prairie Wojun Sloth is also present, and will try maybe to grab some pieces.
If, for now, any of these animals aren't capable to face the birds and to steal their deer kill, and must wait, it's of course just a question of time before way more dangerous and bigger animals such an Ok'kos or an Uktan will arrive to steal their kill.
Was so hyped to see your pieces! Very full scenes.
I have never heard the term "vassal predator" before. I also love the designs of these birds. I first heard of these guys from the mini-series Prehistoric Park, where naturalist Nigel Marvin attempts to bring one back from Pliocene South America. I am real glad to see these guys in Kaimere!
Also, did I hear rheas being a part of Kaimere too? I was wondering if more ratites joined in the avian cast.
There are Emus too, in the Arvelith highlands.
But that’s it, no cassowaries, no ostriches, not even any elephant birds or moas.
I don’t think there’s any kiwis or tinamous either.
I knew that, but cassowarries did come, they just got out-competed. A dromornithid took their place and niche.
The way you mentioned the firebacks.Let me think of the velociraptor in Jurassic park novels.
Heck yeah. Just sayin these creatures are way better when applied in the context of horror than action genres
@@TalesofKaimere absolutely!
I personally adore your artistic style, from the coloring to the design of your speculative prehistoric creatures. You really highlighted the softness, the sharpness and the stoic of the Birds of Terror!! Brutal!! Question by chance there won't be a video about snakes, crocodiles or any other crawling being of Kaimere?
Thank you so much! I hope to do both down the road.
I love this because the top non mammalian predators of my world on land are terror birds, tarrestrial crocodilians, and the odd giant venomous lizard
Heck yeah!!
I am fully convinced that at some point birds WILL re-evolve into something like this. We saw it in the dromeosaurs, and the terror birds. They will run again!
Indeed, the bodyplan seems a bit inevitable as long as the niche is available. Bathornithids and phorusrhacids became macropredators independently and looked quite similar. I wouldn't be at all surprised if another lineage took up the bodyplan
A speculative evo documentary predicted that it would happen in 5 million years time. In this scenario, the ice ages have returned, resulting in the Amazon rainforest becoming grassland. A South American bird kf prey called a Caracara convergently evolves to fill the same apex predator niche as the Phorusrachids had done back in the Pleistocene
I always knew there had to be terror birds on this planet, ever since they touched on in Koban's Menagerie. (They were exhibits in the menagerie, though the thing that stood out to me was that they knew what the word Serimea was in relation to them, was this a thing picked up during the great interchange?)
This video was one of my favorites since Phorusrhacids are one of my favorite extinct animals groups. I loved all the designs in this video but the Rohakundi is my favorite since the blue is just so stunning and beautiful.
Thank you!!
Rohakundi is most fabulous boi
Great video dude! I have always loved phorusrhacids all the way from the phorusrhacos that was shown in walking with beasts to the large kelenken, glad to see that in kaimere they hold a high spot in the ecosystems in which they live.
I love terror birds! Love to see em survive alongside their giant dinosaurian relatives
About the big Bathonithid, big Paracrax-like species were introduced during the Oligocene Harvest, but the neotenic tyrannosaurs present at the time make them to extinction by outcompeting them since they were in the same ecological niche.
Only the already small and generalist bathornithid species survived and made it into Modern Kaimere.
Today, neotenic tyrannosaurid are no more an actuality, and the Terror Birds' success on Kaimere are in part due to the absence of these tyrannosaurs, avoiding the same fate thant the big Bathornithidae.
However, despite these same tyrannosaurs being extinction since a long time, the small Barthonithid, despite being numerous and with a good diversity on Kaimere (with the biggest level in Kairul of course), don't made giants species again.
The reason why giants forms don't evolved is due to the presence of Carnotaurus-like Abelisaurid, Nimravid, Barbourofelid and others predators of these trophic niches, that not allow Bathonithid to grow larger again.
They are blocked in a way.
However, the rumors about giant, big species of these birds documented, as said in the video, could noneless be a reality since most cryptids like animal such this ones tend to be true on Kaimere (like the Forest Chalicotheres for example).
Many Bathornithid species have follow the Houze Prairie inside the Known World, but competition from Cockatrices reduce their number to one single specie, the Rakundi, this latter surviving thank his ability to fly and by specializing itself on small games.
The Rakundi isn't a small generalist specie like the ones outcompeted by the Cockatrices, being a little more half the size of a human and hunting only a specific kind of prey.
The number of species is upper outside the Known Wolrd on the Northern Continent and with the biggest diversity level on Kairul, where Bathornithid originally came from first.
I absolutely love phorusrhacids. Been waiting for this episode ever since I found about Kaimere! Loved the vid keep it dude.
Thanks!!
These guys are incredibly unsettling, especially the Urushai. Still cool but these guys definitely make Kaimere seem like a scarier place than any other predator; not even the Jugashen with it's penchant for stalking villages is as disturbing.
Heck yeah these guys are terrifying
This episode reminds me the movie “10,000 BC” (2008) from Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser.
Movie who is a prehistoric fantasy-fiction who set in the Last Ice Age Europe who follow a group of prehistoric people, which include the hero named D'Leh, who go on a rescue mission after Egyptian-like barbarian warriors have kidnap several members of their tribe and meeting numerous dangers on the way. They will befriend a group of black people warriors and will become an army overtime to defeat the Egyptian
Thus the Smilodon/Sabertooth tiger scenes are very good and visually amazing, the Mammoth scenes well-made, my ultimate favorite moment of all the movie was the Terror Birds sequence !
Because she’s really horrific and scaring !
The protagonist is all in the long grass (in a The Lost World Jurassic park vibes) and the creatures themselves are really monstrous and huge in size, and in their own elements in the grass.
While at least 5 specimens are seen (but the shots are quick so it’s a personal estimation), only 2 of them are killed by the protagonists.
I can easily see Kaimeran or people beyond the Known World having such encounters with Terrors birds, or others analogous carnivores, when traveling outside safe places.
Especially the Urushai/Fireback for this kind of scene in a recreation of the sequence from the movie.
Anyway, this movie is really a good movie that have received a very good reception and box-office performance, and that I recommend to everyone, especially you Keenan if you haven’t seen it yet, to watch it ! The world building is good, the characters well-made, the scenario simple but who evolved overtime natural, the actions sequence astonishing and the visual very impressive !
About the ascendance of the species we see here, the Urushai/Fireback and the Rohakundi are both from the Titanis' ghost lineage (in the Phorusrhacinae subfamily) while the Harkundi descend from a relative of the Psilopterus (in the Psilopterinae subfamily).
The Harkundi, here, have convergently evolved to fitt the same niche and lifestyle and to have the same shape and sizes than the generic looking famous species such Kelenken and Phorusrhacos.
Other than that, but, but I find interesting that Terror Bird were actually harvested twice.
The first time during an obscure Miocene harvest but any of the one introduced during the time managed to established on Kaimere.
And the second and last time during the South American Harvest at 6.1-5.9 mya with this time success.
I was just waiting for them! Just wonderful !
Heck yeah!
Damn, the black cockatrice is waayyyy bigger than I remember
Also ARBOREAL IRIDESCENT NOCTURNAL BLUE TERROR BIRDS LETS GOOOOOOO
Rohakundi is my new favourite Kaimeran animal
1. What are the vassals of the Seridic Wetlands?
2. Any mammalian predators that can stand up to the phorusrachids?
3. Do any intelligent herbivores search and destroy Firebacks as revenge for their large prey?
4. Any arms in Arvel or Houze Prairie designed to be used against Terror Birds?
5. Are there Secretary Birds on Kaimere?
1. That role is taken by a range of crocodiles, but young ba’khar and kurajaku do as well.
2. No, a mammal predator of comparable weight is going to be far smaller and to be large enough to challenge them is going to put them in an entirely different niche and require supplemental herbivory as we see in bears and entelodonts.
3. Not really.
4. None specialized or designed for the task, but spears are popular.
5. Undecided.
@@TalesofKaimere Hope for the last one !
I just realized how absolutly giant are Black cockatrices
Yup! While they are extremely lightweight, they do measure up to smaller Allosaurus specimens
Terror birds are among my favorite extinct animals of all time. I'd even go as far as saying that in my opinion the two best clades of birds to ever evolve are Phorusrhacids and owls. Given all that, I think it's needless to say that I was eager to learn how these animals, both magnificent and frightening, are doing in your world in greater detail. All three species that are found in the Known World are very interesting and I can't even pick a favorite. I hope you realize just how much you manage to make all of these feel like real animals and how great is that.
Thank you so much!! It’s a topic I’ve wanted to cover for so long I’m elated I got the chance.
Really, Terror Birds are really one of the most famous and popular Cenozoic creatures and predators, and not for nothing ! They were truly monsters of their own, incredible and unique wonders and animals from a lost world time, from the golden age of the Cenozoic and South American history !
However, most depiction in paleo-medias and documentary haven’t really depict these incredible family of critters as they deserved, even not showing the entire submerged part of the iceberg (that's an understatement). And as an effect, also, always give us stereotypes/received ideas and misinformation about them who aren’t representatives of the actuality
First, most documentaries shown only the very famous members such Phorusrhacos, Kelenken and Titanis, aka the big and apex predators species, and never the lesser medium or very small species such Psilopterus for example, and who were hunters of smaller games.
And these documentaries always shown Terrors birds when the well famous “Great American (Fauna) Interchange”, who set during the Pliocene at 2.5 mya (and not during the Pleistocene at the time of the La Brea Tar Pit location and Smilodon like many thinks by error) and coexisting with Smilodon and all the others iconic animals of the time both in North and South America after the exchange. A very representative example of this trope is the “Sabertooth” fifth episode from “Walking With Beast” where Terror Birds and Smilodont cats are portrayed as eternal worst rivals/enemies, and with the Terror Birds being dominated by the cats (because cats are cats and are superior and predators of birds)
But, in reality, anything of that was the case !
At the time when the Great American Interchange finally reach his apex at 2.5 million years ago, when the Panama’s Isthmus finally completely become a full only land land-bridge (and no more groups islands with only small animals allowed to go in to travel in the two direction, by island jumping or natural raft) and really connect the North and South American and allowing all the iconic medium and big megafauna herbivores and predators, every generic looking big Terror Birds species were already extinct from a long time due to climatic change (which have fragilize the South America fauna and animal diversity in every animals groups like Meridiungulate, or SANU (South American native ungulates), which make them not in complete equal forces with the new comers and the competition aspect only become a fact at this point, but, in definitive as a small actor in the implication of the extinct of most native South American prehistoric fauna, despite the general received idea).
The only living Terror Birds always alive at this time were the Psilopterinae, with Psilopterus itself. Who are the most basal, small and generalist group/species of the entire family, in addition to be the representatives of the forms from which the famous generic big species evolved first to begin with.
These species will become extinct at the Late Pleistocene approximatively.
The only generic big specie who was alive at this time, and the youngest and very last specie of Terror bird of the entire group, was Titanis, the only specie to have managed to establish and survived permanently in north America. A very successful animal who thrived in Texas and Florida during a very long time (almost 3 mya), was an apex predator who was able to hunt any kind of prey (small, medium to big) and to survived very well in an area full and overgrounded with numerous larges mammalian predators (such big sabertoothed or Panthera genus cats, canids or bears/ursids). However, this specie will die in the Early Pleistocene before the extinction of the Psilopterinae.
The main majors cause of their extinction were the climatic changes, like for every others natives South American animals groups that happen before the Great American Interchange, that have caused a too severe modification of the environment who will lead to the reduction of the herbivores, following by the carnivores who feed upon them, here the Terror Birds (in addition to affect the open and dry spaces on which the birds have preferences to inhabit). This climatic change was in fact already in progress since many mya and just become bigger and bigger overtime since it’s these same changes who were the main causes of the extinction of the two others apex predators groups who were the Sebecid terrestrial land crocodiles (with Barinasuchus as most well-known member, the first of the two to become extinct) and the Sparassodonta (with Thylacosmilus as most well-known member, the direct sister group to true Marsupials). With the Terrors birds being the latest of the three to become extinct.
Severely weakened, destabilized and unstable, the South America native animals fauna (at the exception of Xenarthrans, Caviamorph rodents some others smalls animals groups) will perished and be outcompeting quickly and easily by the North American fauna when the Interchange will really begin at his apex, and will replace almost entirely the original fauna.
Today, only relatives belonging to the same order or the small members of the surviving clades in question, such the Seriemas bird for the Terror Bird, are a testament, and legacy, to the golden age of South America during the Cenozoic from the time when this isolated land was a place of wonders and very weirds oddities very far beyond where our imagination can even go !
Also, to conclude, in reality, despite the popular believes, if big Phorusrhacid species and Sabertoothed cats such Smilodon had met in real life, that will be the Terror Birds in reality who will be the dominants, and always kick off the cats in fight, since most of them were easily in the three meters high in size, and being able to attack directly from above with their beak (who was not powerful, but use instead the force of the impact with the help of the neck to made strong and severe hits with the help of their hook at the tip of their beak) on the big cats (in the head, neck, shoulders of back), like herons or egrets do with fishes, with just to directed their head to he ground and being already upper than the cats. Thus, the cats will must to lift head, legs and claws to the sky to use their weapon and to attack, but showing their belly even more.
So, saying that Smilodon is always superior to terror birds become is a cat, them birds, and because cats are always the winners because there are the natural predators of birds isn’t a relevant and valid argument.
(Plus, Kaimere is a good example that show that big cats are dominated by Theropods dinos, and since Terros birds are theropods dinosaurs, the result is the same ! CQFD)
I love these creatures. They’re pretty fascinating and definitely worth titling as the dinosaurs’ second coming. I’m using them and ratites as references for designing the terrestrial fauna in my Magnum Opus. This video definitely helped me understand them a bit better and I will be continuing to research these creatures in my own time. I look forward to what comes next! :)
Also, just because I’m morbidly curious:
1. How would the Fireback fair against the Scavenger King? They both seem kinda comparable in size but I’m unsure of their respective abilities.
2. The plesiosaurs seem to be next in line for showcase which is sick. Where did the increased musculature in the neck and jaws come from? I always saw them as feasting on schools of fish and squid, but here they regularly hunt krakens.
3. I don’t remember if I ever asked this, but is there an ETA for when the pterosaurs get their debut? I know you’ve been revamping their designs quite a bit after Prehistoric Planet.
Thank you and I’m elated that you enjoyed!
1. Fireback and scavenger king are comparable in size and prowess. The fireback has a stronger single attack and is a lot sturdier so in a direct confrontation they have my vote. Scavenger king is much stronger in their niche as cursorial scavengers but I think the fireback has a direct combat advantage.
2. This is a topic I plan to explore in the plesiosaur episode in two weeks, but in short plesiosaurs we’re not nearly as specialized for small fish as they are often depicted. The muscle attachments of their jaws and chests are way overdone for their stereotypical niche.
Don’t have a date or sponsor for the pterosaur episode but I would love to do one!
I imagine the "tamed" Firebirds destroying human villages also tag teaming with other groups of similar therapod dinosaurs...
Truly terrifying prospect
@@TalesofKaimere Yeah, the terror birds, that killer parrot thing, and their theropod dino rivals of similar size all seem to be relatively intelligent predators, with excellent binocular vision, rapid bipedal gaits, moderate tool abilities (with beaks or jaws), and the ability to fit through all doors or windows.
The irreducibles dinosaurs that never accepted to have become birds
Terror birds my beloved
Ah Terror Birds, an old favorite. Lovely to see them get some more love. Big question though, where is the research that says Terror Birds were forest based? I always thought they were like forest & prairie, which would let them run down prey.
Heck yeah! Super fascinating animals.
According to my consultant, open forests were their preferred habitat, and they were generally ambush hunters, at least the larger species like Kelenken, Phorosrhacos, and Titanis. They were not the sprinting pursuit predators they are often presented as in paleo media. They were mostly hunting slow armored game so there wasn't much need to make long chases. Part of the design inspiration for the harkundi was to make a terror bird that more closely aligned with how they are usually depicted, being rapid pursuit predators, and he advised that I give them a more gracile build, longer legs, smaller skull, and an overall build more similar to an ostrich.
@@TalesofKaimere dope 😎, but now my question is how did they hunt armored prey? Armoring up for creatures like the turtle and the Ankylosaurus have been really effective strategies for millennials because the best counter tends to be intelligent tool use which most creatures don't get so they're not really worth the effort. How did the terror birds deal with heavily armored creatures in a way that the fossil record backs up?
Damn ist like the amonite Video, its good but id like a Video on All large flightless birds in kaimere
Amazing episode 👌. Loved it.
Thank you!!
Giant murder ostriches vs raptors would be a sight to see
i love terror birds to :D also will we ever get a episode on the Permian continent
Someday!
Loved how you have expanded on the terror birds and allowed them to thrive in Kaimere, they have always been one if not maybe my favorite terrestrian carnivore group and living in latinoamerica it´s really a shame that not even the smallest of their kind were able to survive here to the present day (Though I do believe that it is possible that a few smaller around a meter or more prairie specialists survived in the pampa´s praires till humans arrived).
But two small questions about them, first, are there any terror birds who inhabit Kairul? Like Harkundi´s in the houze prairie of Kairul or even different species in their titanic forests?
And second question, how do the Harkundi differentiate themselves/niche partition from the Taro? They both seem to follow essentially the same niche, with the advantage of great night vision also applying to the terror birds, the only difference maybe being that the Taro are described to be able to hunt during the hottest parts of the day but most of the reasons why are also mostly applicable to the Harkundi, and due to the Harkundi working and ocassionally hunting in packs it seems like they would push the Taro towards extinction. So then sorry but how is it that both species niche partition?
Glad to hear it! Yeah they are really fascinating birds. I wouldn't be surprised if we haven't yet found their last relic.
1. If they are it would just be the harkundi expanding its range north. The bathornithids are a similar clade of birds that occupy the niche on that continent so are a bit prohibitive.
2. Well, in short: the Taro was once much more common, and harkundi have indeed generally outcompeted them. Taro now are really only found in the equatorial deserts and a few scattered small populations, while harkundi span throughout most of Ni'Khar's open habitat.
@@TalesofKaimere Ahhh I see that makes good sense, thanks a lot for answering.
Really, The Terror Birds, aka Phorusrhacid, were really fascinating, marvelous and incredible animals and predators which really deserved to be respected and recognized, as for their crazy evolution and history as for their importance and significative impact on the South American legacy and history.
But sadly, only a few elements and stuff, always the same, about these monstrous and terrific apex predators are known to the public.
However, the number of amazing and astonishing facts and elements about them are numerous and deserved really to be better known !
First, if Terror Birds are recognized to have been ones the main majors animals group in South America during the Cenozoic and during almost all the history of this island continent during this latter period, in reality, Terror birds weren’t even truly native to this continent !
Yes ! Despite the popular believes, almost every animal groups of South America during the Cenozic don’t actually evolve and appeared on this latter !
If the origins of the Terrors Birds are quiet dark and scarce since their fossils remains are limited in pre-Oligocene South America deposits, we have evidence and even proofs that Terror Birds, at least the very first members of this family, have appeared in Eurasia and Africa (the Old World) with some species discovered in these locations.
Which is scientifically recognized but sadly very obscure to the public, is in the very Early Cenozoic, when South America and Africa were isolated from other continents, a wave of animals managed noneless overtime to travels seas and to reach these lands.
Today, we know for sure that Terror Birds, the Land Crocodiles Sebecid, Sparassodonts, Meridiungulata ungulates, Caviamorph/New World rodents and, most commonly known to the public, the New World Monkeys, have all originated evolved and appeared in Eurasia-Africa, and go to Africa to after that go on South America.
Because despite being separated at the time, the continents were all enough close and the seas not very deep to allow animals to travel either by natural rafts, islands jumping or simply by swimming.
It’s besides by this latter proceed that we think the terror birds at the time, already flightless species, manage to go in South America, because their body shape is analogous to the one of the big Ratites (Emu, Ostriches and Cassowaries) who are all indeed very good efficient swimmer in deep waters despite what their shapes might seem to reveal at first glances.
All Terrors Birds evolved from Seriemas-like members, and more precisely from Psilopterinae sub-family like member like Psilopterus, in physical appearance, and who were already flightless birds, before evolving into big and efficient hunters like we known them so more. These subfamilies of the group were all Seriemas animals in term of diet and lifestyle/niche, and generalist species. Despite being not apex predators, these members were very successful animas ! So successful that even the genus Psilopterus itself survived from the Midlle Oligocene (from where he evolved) to the Late Pleistocene (for an almost 29.0-0.1 Ma age for the genus, a old age just crazy for an animal genus which lived usually 3-5 mya before ither becoming extinct or evolving into a new genus).
The Terrors Birds were very successful animals and apex or efficient hunters (following the size of the species), with the big species being capable to hunt any kind of prey either smalls (by swallowing them directly, like owls. Which allow them to properly eat without the other carnivores groups able to steal their kills, which is an advantage), or either medium or big preys bigger even than them.
Their beaks weren’t powerful, but instead use it with the help of their hook present at the tip of their beak (like in every predatory bird, like flying raptors, owls, falcons, by convergent evolution) to give severe and disastrous hits to their preys. By using their powerful neck to do strike axes-like attack at the neck, heads or shoulders of their victims (which resulted time to time to instant death if the birds hit the good points and so the power of the impact was strong and powerful).
Their hunt strategies and proceed were indeed very similar to the ones of carnosaurian dinosaurs such Allosaurus, Great White Shark and Smilodon, who also all have in reality a weak skull.
Also, they were, obviously, able to kill their prey like their modern relatives, the Seriemas, do on snakes, rodents and frogs. By taking their preys (if these latter were enough small of course) and smash them with high power on the ground to kill them by breaking their bones.
Of course, like all predators or carnivores, they were also not against to be scavengers when the opportunity appears, and being fast and agile animals, wee able to go and arrive quickly on a carcass to eat it before the arrival of other carnivores.
On big preys, They were able to tear out piece of flesh quickly thank to their hook on their beak.
The Terrrors Birds also have claws at their wings, thing who isn’t very well known by the public, but really have real digits like theropods dinosaurs during the Mezozoic. Their uses are however unknown to this day since their wings were small and uses to equilibrate themselves during hunt when chasing preys.
Terrors Birds, exactly like their cousins’ relatives the Bathornithidae (Late Eocene to Early Miocene) in North America and Eurasia, were really animals who, despite being big birds and big carnivores predators as apex in the food chain, were able to survive in an environments and areas overgrounded and full of big mammalian predators (and reptile in the case with Sebecid like Barinasuchus), even in an extreme high competition level. They really were resilient animals !
The best example of that being the famous Titanis, the youngest taxa/species of Teror Birds to have existed, which live in Texas and Florida in North America among a high numerous concentrations of mammalian predators such Smilodon and others Sabertoothed and Panthera cats, Canids and Ursid/Bears, with a high competition level between each.
But the most remarkable thing about this latter taxa who truly show how these birds were able to do, was that the Titanis don’t go and establish itself in North America during the Great American Interchange at 2.5 (at his apex) in the Pliocene when the Panama Isthmus land bridge was fully formed and the connection was complete between the North and South landmasses to allow medium and big megafauna to travels between the two continents (like most documentary seem to show)… but have instead manage to go in North America BEFORE the land bridge was formed !
Which reveal that Titanis belong in fact to a ghost lineage of Terror Birds not discovered yet and who manage to travel the sea between the landmasses (by swimming and/or island jumping) and who manage to implant themselves in North America. The genus itself lived about 3 mya before becoming extinct due to climatic changes and new evolved better predators.
Despite being fast and agile, there weren’t good to change quickly of direction, and as an effect preferred as habitats vast open and dry savannah/prairie type of biomes, and not regular of semi-forested and forested habitats, in which the Sparassodonts and Sebecid inhabit these latter biomes. Which allowed the three apex carnivores groups to avoid as possible competition between them. But sadly, climatic change will modify too strongly these biomes and Terrors birds, at least most of them and the big species, will become extinct way before the Interchange and the arrival of mammalian predators from the North Continent.
Terrors Birds (Phorusrhacidae), along with Seriemas (Cariamidae) and Bathornithidae are all members of the Cariamiformes order (which the two extant species Seriemas are the only living members/family of this order today), which itself is part, as the most basal position, of the Australaves clades which include also Falconiformes (Falcons), Psittaciformes (parrots) and Passeriformes (songbirds)
The Terrors Birds, being birds, and being true dinosaurs as an effect since birds are living dinosaurs, were the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs during all of the Cenozoic, and among the biggest dinosaurs of this period (with the Moas and Elephant Birds, these latter being the biggest of all, but also wins the title of biggest herbivorous dinosaurs since there were browsers animals). This latter detail being not very pointed out by the public thus is a crazy fact, since making the Terror Bird a reminiscence and come back of their ancestors relatives success from their golden ages !
Kaimere´s own version of Angry Birds. Love them! Great video as always Keenan!
Thank you!!
I’m surprised that there isn’t a terror bird species that has filled what I call the “oversized heron” niche. Basically wading and hunting like a heron, but going after young crocodilians, large fish/sharks, and juvenile herbivores, along with smaller fish.
Indeed! We got pterosaurs for that though.
@@TalesofKaimere So, since there already several species of Pterosaurs and several birds such true herons themselves on this niche, this is why there any Terror Birds who are as a heron justly.
But must to admit, that is indeed a creative idea !
Ahah, so happy to have been able to contribute to this video! Awesome work!
Thank you so much!!
I just wish you had asked me to imagine for a minute. I almost left the vid because I thought it wasn't what I clicked on.
Question, which of these three species seen in this video are descended from Psilopterus and which ones are descended from the ghost lineage of the Titanis ?
Because both of these two latter Earth's taxa belong to two distinct subfamilly of Phorusrhacid (the Psilopteninae and the Phorusrhacinae).
In the first book, page 62, Khaldin, one of the protagonists, refer to the Harkundi terror bird as an “Hook-Beaked Ostriches” bird.
But you have confirmed that the African Ostrich (Struthio camelus) don’t make it due to the enantiornithean ratites-like birds. So, is it possible that some other Ostriches species, giants ones, like the Asiatic/Asian Ostrich (Struthio asiaticus) or species from the giant Pachystruthio genus (that can live in the Highlands of Arvel since they are cold species) ?
Or are we, again, in a "Flying Lemurs" naming taxonomy situation ?
Good catch! Yes, the greater rhea of the houze prairie was mistaken for an ostrich by Assembly naturalists and that’s how that bird was translated in that book.
@@TalesofKaimere Ok, and the Harkundi was mistaken with the Rhea due to their similar body shape.
They think he was a carnivorous relative ratite to the Rhea, thus it's isn't the case at all.
Ok, fair enough.
Sad that there always in final any kind genus, taxa or species of Ostriches (because there really some of them, cold adaptive and giants species that have eco and would have been good for Kaimere somewhere) but okay.
In fact, the Rhea is more or less just a small kind of Ostriches after all in a way, so fair enough on that too.
Between a Fireback and a Megaraptoran (one raised from a very young age)which would be the more dangerous and ill-advised pet to have?
I am almost tempted to think that at least an Uktan would be less likely to slaughter your entire village unprovoked.
I say a fireback is easily more dangerous due to its intelligence. Genuinely terrifying.
I agree the terror bird would probably be worse lol
I like terror birds it’s like a Therapod dinosaurs are back but in Cenozoic
Heck yeah!!
I thought land crocs were the main predators of South America for most of South American history
There was a lot of stuff knocking around Miocene South America.
Sebecid crocodilians, phorushrhacids, metatherian mammals and sparassodont marsupials were all predators during that time, as well as a random carnivorous armadillo for the hell of it
Next the elasmosaurid video?
Btw great video
Next week is castles. Week after is elasmosaurs.
I like the new intro with sfx. I hope this becomes a recurring thing for this channel!
Thanks! Will all depend on what time I have to play with week by week but I’ve enjoyed making it for the next few episodes!
Are there normal Seriemas (Cariamidae) on Kaimere, inside or outisde the Known World ? Because if yes, all the main groups of the Cariamiformes will be represented on Kaimere (Bathornithidaen Phorusrhacidae and Seriemas).
Random Question : Since the Houze Prairie inside the Known World is linked completly to the Houze Prairie outside the Known World, by a way between the Ushalek forest and the Nnown World's Ni'Khar forest above the Sea of the Dancing Sun, warm savannah type creatures introduced and replicated in the Houze Prairie inside the Known World can technically go and directly exit entirely by themselves whithout help outside the Known Wolrd and establish in the stable regions of the Northern Continent. Right ?
Because, as example, if during the Last African Harvest a specie of Antelope was introduced on the Houze Prairie, is good to live in this kind of biome, but due to a reason or another something else pose a problem, after being replicated and introduced, she can technically go completely by herself outside the Known World region in the Houze Prairie outside it's borders, and establish herself in ones of the more stable regions of Kaimere.
It's possible this kind of proceed ?
They where replace by mammal adaptivity and they are solo predator.
The last animal they are related too is Seriema.
Random Questions unrelatted to the current video :
1 - The Ongulate Terrestrial Pterosaurs on the Permian Islands are (again) Tapejarid or Azhdarchid ? Because if Tapejarid are good for climbing, the reason of their inital success in Modern Kaimere, it's no secret that Azhdarchid are by far the most terrestrial Pterosaurs, and made them better for complete terrestrial flightless forms such the ones of the Permian Island. No ?
2 - The diversity of Azhdarchid in Modern Kaimere is equal or lesser than the Tapejarid ?
3 - What killed the Gorgonopsian and Dinocephalian in the first place since the two Permian landmasses are isolated from the others landmasses and Portal ? In addition to have been completely unimpacted by the Tyrant Dynastic Extinction since the Ashe cloud don't covered the permian landmasses ?
Thanks for the awesome content!
Thank you for enjoying!!
Earth may have not been nice to them, but at least they can thrive on Kaimere.
Absolutely
Really, I would really like a lot to sponsor an episode too, but I’m European (I live in France), so my money is in Euro, not in Dollars. So I can’t ! It’s sad.
what kinds of unique disease or mushrooms are there?
Lovely work.
Thank you!!
Now I really really want to read a story where an escaped pet fireback opens doors with a mate to make a meal out of a village! If it's not featured in Song of the Inland Sea, please consider this for the next anthology!
It might well be a plot for my next anthology as we speak!
@@TalesofKaimere Awesome! Can't wait!
Hey keen, so sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk about that game that was working on and I just wanted to say that I am switching it to a mod in a dinosaur survival game called path of titans and I just want to know if you have a list or art book of all the animals that live in the prairie because it’s been difficult trying to map out how many creatures I need to put in against sorry to bother you
Can the Terror Birds evolve to become bigger and become as big as the Tyrants?
Probably not. The short tail heavily reduced their leg muscles which are important for balancing at the hip rather than the knee. The dromaeosaurs ran into a similar issue which is why the Komu ka bawe has such weird hip and back anatomy to compensate. A terror bird would be even more extreme in such needed adaptations and it wouldn’t be particularly efficient.
Does exist
I assume some entelodonts would be considered vassal predators?
Yup! They are omnivorous, but are the closest that terrestrial mammals come to filling the niche
@@TalesofKaimere and then the Bokodu comes in
Nice work as always.
Thank you!!
@@TalesofKaimere And another thing. I wrote a book on dholes on Wattpad a while back. So if by chance you decide to do something with Kaimeran dholes, I'd be happy to help with seeing how they'd probably behave in Kaimeran ecosystems. (There are some things commonly said about them that haven't been scientifically confirmed).
Watch out, this big bird want to eat your flesh (even if you're still alive)
I love that threat display art. Shows off just how terrifying a giant chicken can be lol
Absolutely!!! Riamus knocked it out of the park on that one I love it
Sad Kaimeran Rhinoceros 🦏...
I wish these were all real
Awesomely terrific 😁
Why there only 3 species of Terror Birds in Modern Known World region ?
What was the events you said to be "not have been kind" with them ?
What reduce their diversity inside the Known World ?
Mostly competition with the likes of the common cockatrice taking out the smaller generalists and shift from mosaic forests to the houze prairie
How does the rohakundi climb trees, like a parrot with it's beak?
Precisely! Beak in conjunction with its feet, specifically the ‘sickle claw’ of their second toe
It just seems like the beak and claws of a predator seem to valuable to risk chipping or breaking while climbing .... but I am aware that it's shared environment with multi ton predators.
Now I'm really curious if the Sebecid land crocodiles made it to Kimear and became something interesting or went extinct do to competition 🤔
I could see them filling a large armored scavenger role being tough and resiant to infection able to push smaller group predators of their kills and even be enough of a threat to make the megaraptorans hesitant to stand and fight maybe something of a corps stealer dragon.
Squamates of kaimere?
Fire Back puts the "Terror" in the name "Terror Bird"
Also you said you couldn't describe their killing methods in more detail due to their graphic nature and you said they target weaknesses... oh God, those possible weak spots don't include genitals I hope.
I pity their prey animals.
What's the name of the music you used in this? It's bloody great!
Deer Hunt by Bonnie Grace!
So would our apexes be meso predators in Kaimeres context?
I think that’s the best description, yes, although it lumps them with much smaller predators so I’m not sure it’s ideal.
How high is the Terror Birds diversity and success beyond the Known World ?
Can guess that there species only present on the Western and Northern Continent since that must be the Barthonithidae birds who must be the dominant predatory ground birds on Kairul.
Right ?
The harkundi is the only phorusrhacid outside the continents of the known world, having crossed into the houze prairies of Kairul. That said, they compete with the vassal predators there, which have higher diversity including a carnotaurus-like abelisaurid.
@@TalesofKaimere Ok, only the Harkundi is present outside the Known World.
So, there only 3 species not only inside the Known World but litterally on all Kaimere planet itself !
Being said, that mean that the Harkundi have a very big repartition range throughout the Northern Continent from the Known World to Kairul, meaning that numerous species can evolved from this single specie !
Also, the fact that Kairul vassal predators being already numerous, with the Abelisaurid, Barbourofelid, Nimravid and some others, made that Barthonithidae unable to evolved into big Terror Birds-like sizes again like when some of them of such size where introduced on Kaimere at the time of the Oligocene Harvest but were here outcompete by the neothenic Tyrannosaurid.
Can rakundi be tamed to guard chickens?
I love you Projekt ❤❤❤
Thank you!
Came here from Paleo Analysis. Is this some kind of a Serina:World of Birds scenario?
It is a seed world speculative biology project like Serina, yes
The main difference is that Serina have only one signle harvest at the very beginning in the history of the planet's life, thus Kaimere have various harvest time to time permanently.
How does one defend themself from a Harkundi when it’s chasing them?
Hope and a good wall
@@TalesofKaimere Lol “Pick a god and pray!”
Pray to god that it doesnt catch you
Another fun suprise episode! I have only one question is darun your basal megaraptoran also vassal predator of Arvelith forests?
Thanks!! The darun is probably going to be more in the niche of big cats rather than vassal predators. Likely going to downsize them and taro a bit.
Please tell, was your fireback design inspired by Lophura ingnita, fireback pheasant?
It was indeed! That and several other pheasants but that was a main one
Alternative title for the size chart at 2:49 - "14 reasons why you should never visit Arvel"
Haha truuuuuuu
Kaimeres like Australia but if Australia was a whole planet almost everything will try to kill you and will try to
@TalesofKaimere are their creatures that live in outer space but got sent to karimere an evo in their new habitants?
There are no known creatures on Kaimere that are not based on Earth organisms
@@TalesofKaimere not yet or haven't realize yet.
Aside from terror birds and cockatrices, what other vassal predators exist in kaimere?
Subadult robust monarchs are the main ones aside from these two. I don’t think Pakardia really has one, as the oritaku is basically a zentaur trapped in the vassal niche. Highland steppes of Arvel might have the cave lion count as a vassal predator but I’m not sure yet they may just be a conventional Earth apex predator
Well the Titan crow might be the vassal predator of the highlands.
Will there be a vidos about pterosaurs?
Absolutely! It’s not yet on the agenda but it’s one I hope to do soon
Are there any herbivorous giant birds?
Yup! Talked about one of them in the Australian harvest episode. Will hopefully be doing an episode on ground birds down the road.
How do you define "disappointed" when it comes to the Fireback? Do they attack if they're not given food when expected?
If you don’t feed them on demand enough times they might decide your insides are better outside
@@TalesofKaimere Or perhaps hitting them as corporal punishment, then they'd want you dead
Too bad the terror birds couldn't have lasted much longer
In the one hand I agree. On the other hand that would have been terrifying
could humans be considered vassal predators on kaimere ?
No we constitute a class into our own. We’re below big cats and hyenas in some trophic levels, but can also bring down a zentaur with the right equipment.