Cats and Birds information on net.

Look what's hiding in the tall grass--one of the biggest and scariest birds that ever lived. What's it doing? Turn the page to find out.

SNEAK AND STREAK

Imagine you're on a grassy plain in South America five million years ago. A giant terror bird is sneaking around the tall grass. It's looking for its favorite meal--a small, horselike animal called a brachytherium (BRACK-uh-THUR-ee-um).

There it goes now--dashing after a herd of "brackies"! With its long, strong legs, the terror bird can run more than 40 miles (64 km) per hour.

GOTCHA!

The herd scatters in all directions. So the terror bird picks out one bracky and goes after it. In no time the bird catches up and is running at the bracky's side. Then, wham, the terror bird shoots out its foot and knocks the bracky off balance.

GULPED YA!

Next the terror bird grabs the bracky in its big beak and whacks it against the ground to knock it out.

Finally the bird tosses its head back, and with one big gulp, it finishes off the horsey morsel.

MMMM, DELICIOUS--HOOFS AND ALL!

MORE ABOUT TERROR BIRDS

* Terror birds lived in South America from 62 million years ago until 2.5 million years ago. Dinosaurs were no longer around, so the terror birds were the biggest, baddest beasts in the grassy plains. Some species (kinds) grew almost 10 feet (3 m) tall.

* These huge birds couldn't fly, so they made their nests on the ground. Their eggs were the size of basketballs!

* Terror birds ate lots of animals besides the horselike brachytherium. They ate just about anything meaty, from small rodents to large, grass-eating mammals.

* When predators such as wild cats and dogs moved from North America to South America, the terror birds started to disappear. Scientists believe these mammals fed on the terror birds' eggs, young, and prey. Finally the terror birds became extinct.

# posted by Medical Information : 6:08 AM