Roy's Postcards: 1983/11/25

Inscription:

I went with Daddy, Uncle John, his mother-in-law and Susanna to the tar pits and Page Museum. We saw lots of tar and bones, a dinosaur movie, and I bought a snake and this postcard.

Postcard back:

GIANT CONDOR FAMILY
Teratornis merriami

These extinct condor-like scavengers were undoubtedly frequent visitors to Rancho La Brea, feeding on the carcasses of animals trapped in the asphalt. Scientists believe that instead of nests, they used high, inaccessible spots such as ledges to raise their families. With a wing-spread of at least 12 feet, they were among the largest known birds of flight.

See also: labrea

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