around five million years ago in what is
now the southeastern United States
a mysterious newcomer from South America
feeds on a primitive horse the terror
bird was the top predator in its
ancestral home but here in North America
it has competition from creatures it
never encountered before at the same
time that Titanus was here in North
America there was a small wolf like
animal called the Edwards wolf not as
large gray wolves today but larger than
a coyote hunting in a pack the wolves
are there to steal the terror birds prey
but this is a challenger they’ve never
seen they depend on instinct and spread
out this is a battle for attention who
can divert the attention of the other
combatant and in which direction for how
long if you’re distracted long enough to
have to fight one wolf there’s not
really a chance that you can expend your
energy keep the other wolves at bay
modern wolves are known for wearing down
their targets and their prehistoric
cousins were likely the same I think
probably the defining moment is when the
Titanes feels like its life is in danger
once the terror bird gets the idea that
it’s in a sense outnumbered at a
strategic level it’s probably not going
to expend this energy over that carcass
is probably going to divert its energy
somewhere else
the crisis is critical for Titanes as
the Wolves close in its attention turns
to escape
neither side can sustain the tense
standoff and one swift exchange will be
decisive making a willing sacrifice the
wolves prevail
lesson learned the terror bird withdraws
its native intelligence driving it to
change its hunting strategy so I could
certainly see a terror bird after its
first encounter with the pack of wolves
possibly realizing that it’s not worth
the fight it’s going to lose in the long
run and eventually start developing
avoidance behavior that if it kills
something the wolves come along it’s
probably going to give it up rather than
risking itself becoming a meal
now the southeastern United States
a mysterious newcomer from South America
feeds on a primitive horse the terror
bird was the top predator in its
ancestral home but here in North America
it has competition from creatures it
never encountered before at the same
time that Titanus was here in North
America there was a small wolf like
animal called the Edwards wolf not as
large gray wolves today but larger than
a coyote hunting in a pack the wolves
are there to steal the terror birds prey
but this is a challenger they’ve never
seen they depend on instinct and spread
out this is a battle for attention who
can divert the attention of the other
combatant and in which direction for how
long if you’re distracted long enough to
have to fight one wolf there’s not
really a chance that you can expend your
energy keep the other wolves at bay
modern wolves are known for wearing down
their targets and their prehistoric
cousins were likely the same I think
probably the defining moment is when the
Titanes feels like its life is in danger
once the terror bird gets the idea that
it’s in a sense outnumbered at a
strategic level it’s probably not going
to expend this energy over that carcass
is probably going to divert its energy
somewhere else
the crisis is critical for Titanes as
the Wolves close in its attention turns
to escape
neither side can sustain the tense
standoff and one swift exchange will be
decisive making a willing sacrifice the
wolves prevail
lesson learned the terror bird withdraws
its native intelligence driving it to
change its hunting strategy so I could
certainly see a terror bird after its
first encounter with the pack of wolves
possibly realizing that it’s not worth
the fight it’s going to lose in the long
run and eventually start developing
avoidance behavior that if it kills
something the wolves come along it’s
probably going to give it up rather than
risking itself becoming a meal
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