| Giant Cuban owl Temporal range:Late Pleistocene | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Strigiformes |
| Family: | Strigidae |
| Genus: | †Ornimegalonyx Arredondo,1954 |
| Species | |
Thegiant Cuban owl orgiant cursorial owl (Ornimegalonyx) is an extinct genus of giantowl that measured 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in) in height. It is closely related to the many species of living owls of the genusStrix.[1] It was a flightless or nearly flightless bird and it is believed to be the largest owl that ever existed. It lived on the island ofCuba.
The first fossil specimen was mistakenly described as a bird in the familyPhorusrhacidae, in part because the bones were so large. In 1961,Pierce Brodkorb reviewed the findings and identified them to have belonged to an owl. Remains have been found in cave deposits from theLate Pleistocene period (126,000 to 11,700 years ago).
In the past, three additional species ofOrnimegalonyx besidesO. oteroi were regarded as valid. All were described in 1982 and include:
A 2020 study concluded that those species are all synonyms ofO. oteroi, and describe a new valid species,Ornimegalonyx ewingi, from material formerly assigned to the prehistoric horned owlBubo osvaldoi.[3]
"Ornimegalonyx arredondoi" is anomen nudum; the name was proposed for this species before it was described butoteroi was eventually adopted byOscar Arredondo (according to the rules of theICZN, naming a species after oneself is not prohibited, but it is frowned upon asvain by thescientific community[citation needed]).
Arredondo estimated the height ofOrnimegalonyx to have been 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall.[4][5] It had very long legs for its size, but was bulky overall and probably short-tailed. Its body mass in life is initially estimated to have been approximately 30 kg (66 lb),[6] but later studies suggest a mass of 9 to 13.5 kg (20 to 30 lb).[7][8][9][10] The modern owl that most resembles the Cuban giant owl in proportions is probably the dainty and quite smallburrowing owl, the only surviving owl closely tied to the ground. This implies similaradaptations to the terrestrial lifestyle, but not a close phylogenetic relationship.[5]
The legs and feet of the Cuban giant owl appear to be very large and powerfully built. This supports the theory that they were strong runners, hence the alternate name,cursorial. The keel of the sternum was reduced and the owl may have been capable of short burst of flight. It is probable that, like a modernwild turkey, the owl only took flight when extremely pressed, more often choosing to run. The females of this owl species were larger than the males.[4][9]
The Cuban giant owl is believed to have preyed principally on largehutias, includingCapromys,Geocapromys, andMacrocapromys (the latter being the size of a modernnutria orcapybara) and theground slothsCubanocnus,Miocnus,Mesocnus, andMegalocnus, some of these sloths being roughly the size of ablack bear.[4] It was probably anambush predator that would pounce on unsuspecting prey with its crushingtalons.
Genera ofowls and their extinct allies | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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