Carnivorous 'terror bird' pecked its prey to death

At 1.4m tall, Andalgalornis steulleti stalked South America 6m years ago and used its hooked beak to attack its victimsA flightless meat-eating bird that stalked South America 6m years ago overcame its prey by pecking the creatures to death with its huge skull and hooked beak, researchers say.The bird, which resembled an emu, landed precision jabs on its victims, before withdrawing to a safe distance then attacking once more. Once its prey was dead, Andalgalornis steulleti, a species in the phorusrhacidae family or "terror birds", moved in and swallowed its victim whole or used its beak to tear morsels of flesh from the carcass."They used their good vision to make surgical strikes," said Lawrence Witmer, a paleontologist and co-author on the study at Ohio University. "Like Muhammad Ali, they would attack and retreat."Scientists pieced together the bird's fighting style after taking x-rays of a skull of a terror bird found...

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