Phorusrhacos Longissimus stock image
Fifteen million years ago, an eight-foot-tall bird, Phorusrhacos, was a top predator of the forests and grasslands of South America. Members of its family, the phorusrhacids, spread into North America about 3 million years ago before disappearing completely less than 2 million years ago.
Illustration by Andrey Atuchin