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Correct!
Despite its gigantic bones, paleontologists believe that Diatryma is most closely related to ducks and geese.
Scientific Name: Diatryma gigantea
Pronunciation: die-uh-TRY-muh
jy-GAN-tee-uh
Meaning: "double hole"
Locality Found: South Elk Creek, Big Horn Basin, Wyoming
Age: Early Eocene, 55 million years ago
Size: 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall
Characteristics: large-headed, flightless bird with short and heavy leg bones; beak indicates that Diatryma may have been a herbivore
Diatryma's closest relatives living today are:
Diatryma's beak is straight, not hooked. What did this dinosaur probably eat when it was alive?
meat
plants
no one knows
Correct!
We don't know for sure, but Diatryma's beak is similar to that of living, leaf-eating birds.
Paleontologists know that Diatryma is a bird because it has a fused tailbone.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
Diatryma has a short tail with joined vertebrae at the end. All ancient and modern birds have this feature.
Although Diatryma gigantea couldn't fly, its fossils suggest it was probably a speedy runner.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Diatryma was no roadrunner. Ostriches can sprint to 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour, but this bird's weight and heavy legs made it much slower.