Teratornis merriami Miller, 1909
Merriam's teratorn
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Pleistogyps rex Miller, 1910
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: Late Pleistocene (18-20 ka BP)
Distribution
North America
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Miller, Loye H. (1909). Teratornis, a new avian genus from Rancho La Brea. University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geology 5: 305-317.
Other references:
Campbell, K. E., Jr., and Tonni, Eduardo P. (1981). Preliminary observations on the paleobiology and evolution of teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 1:265-272.
Campbell, K. E., Jr., and Tonni, Eduardo P. (1983). Size and locomotion in teratorns (Aves: Teratornithidae). Auk 100(2): 390-403.
Cenizo, Marcos et al. (2021). First Pleistocene South American Teratornithidae (Aves): new insights into the late evolutionary history of teratorns. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 41(2): e1927064. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1927064
Emslie, Steven D. (1995). An early Irvingtonian avifauna from Leisey Shell Pit, Florida. Bull. Fla. Mus. Nat. Hist. 37(1): 299-344.
Emslie, Steven D. (1998). Avian community, climate, and sea-level changes in the Plio-Pleistocene of the Florida Peninsula. Ornithological Monographs, No. 50: iii + 113 pp.
Emslie, Steven D. and Heaton, Timothy H. (1987). The Late Pleistocene Avifauna of Crystal Ball Cave, Utah. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 21(2): 53-60. [Abstract]
Fisher, H. (1945). Locomotion in the fossil vulture Teratornis. Amer. Midland Natur. 33: 725-742.
Guthrie, D. A. 2009. An updated catalogue of the birds from the Carpinteria Asphalt, Pleistocene of California. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 108(2):52-62.
Harris, Arthur H. (1993). Quaternary vertebrates of New Mexico, pp. 179-197. In: Vertebrate Paleontology in New Mexico, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Bulletin 2:i-vii, 1-338.
Hertel, Fritz. (1995). Ecomorphological indicators of feeding behavior in recent and fossil raptors. The Auk 112(4): 890-903.
Howard, H. (1930). A census of the Pleistocene birds of Rancho La Brea from the collections of the Los Angeles Museum. Condor 32(2): 81-88, 3 text figs.
Howard, H. (1962). A comparison of prehistoric avian assemblages from individual pits at Rancho La Brea, California. Angeles County Mus., Contrib. Sci. 58: 1-24.
Jefferson, G. T. 1991. A catalogue of Late Quaternary vertebrates from California. Part one; nonmarine lower vertebrate and avian taxa. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Technical Reports 5:1-60.
Mawby, J. E. 1967. Fossil vertebrates of the Tule Springs site, Nevada. Nevada State Museum, Anthropological Papers 13:106-128.
McCoy, John J. (1963). The fossil avifauna of Itchtucknee River, Florida. The Auk 80(3): 335-351.
Miranda, Melissa. (2023). Estimating historic ranges of extinct scavenging birds in North America during the Late Pleistocene: using co-occurrence data from the fossil record. MSc essay, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg.
Rea, A. M., and L. L. Hargrave. 1984. The bird bones from Stanton's Cave. Pp. 77-91 in The archaeology, geology, and paleontology of Stanton's Cave; Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Grand Canyon Natural History Association Monograph 6.
Sayol, Ferran, Steinbauer, Manuel J., Blackburn, Tim M., Antonelli, Alexandre and Faurby, Søren. (2020). Anthropogenic extinctions conceal widespread evolution of flightlessness in birds. Science Advances 6(49): eabb6095. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb6095 [Supplementary Material (Data File S1)]
Springer, Kathleen B., Pigati, Jeffrey S. and Scott, Eric. (2017). Vertebrate Paleontology, Stratigraphy, and Paleohydrology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada (USA). Geology of the Intermountain West 4: 55-98.
Stock, C., and J. M. Harris. 1992. Rancho la Brea: A record of Pleistocene life in California. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series no. 37, 7th ed.:i-xiv + 1-113.
Suárez, William and Emslie, Steven D. (2023). On the correct publication date for the extinct avian family Teratornithidae L. Miller. Zootaxa 5227(1): 143-146. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5227.1.8
Tyrberg, Tommy. (2008). The Late Pleistocene Continental Avian extinction – an evaluation of the fossil evidence. Oryctos 7: 249-269.
http://www.tarpits.org/research-collections/collections/teratorns
https://twilightbeasts.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/a-sticky-end-for-the-monster-birds/