of the time. Teratorns had relatively longer and stouter legs than Old World vultures; thus it seems possible that teratorns would stalk their prey on the ground (much like extant caracaras), and take off only to fly to another feeding ground or their nests; especially Cathartornis seems well-adapted for such a lifestyle. Argentavis may have been an exception, as its sheer bulk would have made it a less effective hunter, but better adapted to taking over other predators' kills. As teratorns were not habitual scavengers, they most likely had completely feathered heads, unlike vultures. It should be noted, however, that the skull features of teratorns still share a lot of crucial similarities with specialized scavenging raptors. Many old world vultures possess large bills similar to teratorns, and a longer bill is in fact an anatomic feature that points toward a scavenging rather than a predatory life style, as this allow them to probe deeper into large carcases - larger than those fed upon by active-hunting raptors. Other anatomical features, such as the relatively small and sideward facing orbits and the lower skull, are also consistent with a scavenging live style. More sideward facing eyes allow scavenging raptors to have a wider field of vision, which is advantageous in spotting carcases. In contrast, predatory raptors usually have proportionally larger and more forward facing orbits, as depth perception is more important for a predatory lifestyle. As in other large birds, a clutch probably had only one or two eggs; the young would be cared for more than half a year, and take several years to reach maturity, probably up to 12 years in Argentavis. References External links Vulture Territory Facts and Characteristics: Teratorns Prehistoric bird families † New World vultures Oligocene birds Miocene birds Pliocene birds Pleistocene birds Oligocene first appearances Pleistocene extinctions Neogene birds of North America Neogene birds of South America Pleistocene birds of North America Pleistocene animals of South America Taxa named by Loye H. Miller