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Body mass estimations and paleobiological inferences on a new species of large Caracara (Aves, Falconidae) from the late Pleistocene of Uruguay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2016

Washington Jones ,
Andrés Rinderknecht ,
Rafael Migotto  and
R. Ernesto Blanco
Washington Jones
Affiliation:
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, CC. 399, 11.000, Montevideo, Uruguay, ; < [email protected]>
Andrés Rinderknecht
Affiliation:
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, CC. 399, 11.000, Montevideo, Uruguay, ; < [email protected]>
Rafael Migotto
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão travessa 14, n° 321, 05508–900, São Paulo, Brazil,
R. Ernesto Blanco
Affiliation:
Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, CC. 399, 11.000, Montevideo, Uruguay, ; < [email protected]> Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11.400, Uruguay,
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Abstract

The caracaras belong to a group of falconids with widespread geographical distribution in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in South America. Here we report fossil remains of a new species attributed to the genus Caracara from the late Pleistocene of Uruguay. This bird would have had an estimated body mass of 3700 grams, a value that greatly exceeds the maximum body mass reported for living falconids. Apparently, it would have had flying capabilities, in contrast to another paleospecies recently described from the Holocene of Jamaica. This fossil bird was found in association with mammal megafaunal remains and could offer new insights about the role of carnivorous birds in late Pleistocene environments of South America.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 151 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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