Xenicibis was discovered in Jamaica in 1977 by Storrs Olson. Its bone structure was so strange that Olson thought it must've had some kind of bone disease. In fact, the bird had extremely powerful weighted ends on its wings. Obviously, these wings were not very useful for flight, but they may have been especially useful for bashing predatory snakes or even monkeys and birds of prey. The size and weight of these wings means that xenicibis might have walked on them like crutches. If not use for defense, it may have been used in mock battles with members of its own species for territory or mates.
The bones that make up the clubs are hollow, like a baseball bat. This means they could dish out real damage without being too heavy to wield. The long "handle" at the joints meant that it could be swung very quickly and had a very far reach. Whether it was used to bash rivals or bash predators, it would have been quite a formidable weapon.
Non-ibis related: I've been thinking about how I want to update this blog, and I think its best if I do so on a consistent schedule. So from now on I will be updating with new drawings every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
2 comments:
Man that thing is wacky! Excited for the whole regular updates thing. Keep up the awesome work.
Wow, cool drawing, made me giggle. . . .and I learned something new. I agree about the regular updates, looking forward to them!
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