Footprints believed to have
been made by the giant bird Diatryma indicate that it was a "gentle
herbivore" and not a fierce carnivore, scientists say.
A team of researchers from
Washington, US, examined tracks uncovered in a landslide in 2009.
Previous investigations have
suggested the giant bird was a carnivorous predator or scavenger.
But the absence of raptor-like
claws in the footprints supports the theory that Diatryma was not a
meat-eater.
Measuring 7ft (2.13m) tall and
with a huge head and beak, the giant flightless bird Diatryma (believed by
some experts to belong to the genus Gastornis) is commonly portrayed as a
fierce predator in both scientific works and popular media.
The animal is frequently
thought as "the bird that replaced dinosaurs as the top predator",
said geologist and team member George Mustoe, from Western Washington
University in Bellingham, US.
"Let's be honest: scary,
fierce meat-eaters attract a lot more attention than gentle herbivores."
Continued: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/20413665
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