Prehistoric Animal Museum

Meet today’s friendPhorusrhacid bird

Phorusrhacos

Long legs and a large beak with a downward hook.

Phorusrhacos had long legs and a large beak with a hooked tip. Turn it to the side and see which way that hook curves.

Still model of Phorusrhacos on a transparent background

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Stegosaurus

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Parasaurolophus

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Phorusrhacos

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Spinosaurus

Quetzalcoatlus

Xiphactinus

Lystrosaurus

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Preparing the Phorusrhacos exhibit.

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Guide for grown-ups

When it lived: Miocene
Where fossils were found: Patagonia, Argentina
Standing height: 2.4 m (about 8 ft)
Diet: Meat-eater
What kind of animal?: Phorusrhacid bird. Phorusrhacos longissimus was a large flightless bird from South America and a member of the terror bird family, Phorusrhacidae.

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Narration transcript

Phorusrhacos had long legs and a large beak with a hooked tip. Turn it to the side and see which way that hook curves.

Research notes about Phorusrhacos

Research summary

Fossils of Phorusrhacos date to the Miocene and have been found in Patagonia, Argentina.

Learning from fossils

Its full skeleton still requires reconstruction. The estimate of about 2.4 metres to the raised head depends on the reconstructed posture.
Its precise hunting methods and running speed remain uncertain and cannot be read directly from its outline.
The feather colours and gentle display movements include artistic reconstruction.

Scientific sources

New skull remains of Phorusrhacos longissimusAccessed 2026-10-28
Systematic revision and skeletal reconstructions of the PhorusrhacidaeAccessed 2026-10-28
The evolution and ecology of gigantism in terror birdsAccessed 2026-10-28

Leon Made This compiled these research notes from public museum resources and scientific papers while preserving uncertainty in the reconstruction. Last reviewed 2026-10-28.

3D model and asset credits

Phorusrhacos longissimus (terror bird): Model by Museo [UV] Historia Natural; sculpture Dr. Julio Pitarch Reig; scan Jose A. Villena; museum preparation by Leon Made This. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Open source and licensing

The code is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Original science writing and project artwork use CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 for non-commercial sharing. The brand policy prevents impersonation, and third-party assets keep their original licences.

View the GitHub project Read the full licensing notes

Official source

Made by Leon Made This

Prehistoric Animal Museum is made and maintained by Leon Made This. Use these addresses to verify the official project and its creator.

Official Prehistoric Animal Museumhttps://leon-made-this.work/museum/en/Leon's personal websitehttps://leon-made-this.work/

More information is available below.

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Leon Made This

About this museum

A little museum made by a developer dad for his daughter

I’m Leon, a developer and a dad. When my daughter was three, dinosaur chases on television frightened her, so I made a 3D prehistoric animal museum where she could look quietly and listen only when she wanted to.

The museum is free, with no sign-up, adverts or visitor tracking. Finding one interesting detail at a time is plenty.

Official source

Made by Leon Made This

Prehistoric Animal Museum is made and maintained by Leon Made This. Use these addresses to verify the official project and its creator.

Official Prehistoric Animal Museumhttps://leon-made-this.work/museum/en/Leon's personal websitehttps://leon-made-this.work/

View the source on GitHub Read the licence and asset notes