Extinction Events

The birds in my novel THE FLOCK are Terror birds, also known as Phorusrhacids were an extinct form of the modern type we know as ratites. These are almost all large birds that are flightless. Most of them today are much smaller than the Terror birds and are herbivorous rather than carnivorous. Why the herbivores thrived while the flesh-eaters died out is a matter for paleontologists to puzzle. About the closest we have to the Terror birds these days would be the Cassowary which is considered the most dangerous living bird, having killed a total of two human beings in the past few hundred years. I've read that they do occasionally chase down and consume insects and small reptiles, thus making them omnivorous rather than strict herbivores. Like most of today's amazing creatures, they're near extinction.

Recently, I read that the eggshell of the extinct Aepyornis, the heaviest bird known to have ever lived, gave up its DNA. This is, I suppose, something of a genetic coup, but I don't know if it means that the species can be resurrected. From what I've read on the subject, I rather doubt it. Still, it's interesting to know that the DNA of these critters can be recovered and studied, if not actually used to recreate the lost animals. Which is a shame, of course, because unlike the Terror birds who exist only in my novel, ratites such as Aepyornis and the moas of New Zealand were killed off by humans and not by the normal means of Natural Selection.

Convergent Evolution

Many creatures adapted to similar environments but separated by vast spaces or vast time have evolved to resemble one another. There is, of course, the example of the Icthyosaur and the modern bottle-nose dolphin. But one example which never fails to amaze me is the physical resemblance of the modern Cassowary bird and the extinct theropod dinosaur Oviraptor. Their skulls are so similar that it's almost frightening.

The Cretaceous-era Oviraptor. Yes, I know we don't know their colors, but this certainly is a good representation of their physical shapes.

70 million years later, their avian cousin, the Cassowary. Females stand 6 feet tall and weigh 160 pounds. Considered the most dangerous living bird. There are a few recorded instances of these creatures killing humans. Their claws are exceedingly sharp and their kick impressive. Of course they are endangered from human encroachment into their habitat. They will probably go extinct.