A successful and ferocious descendant of the dinosaurs, Gastornis was one of the largest animals of its time: a meat-eating bird as tall as a grown man. While it has been the subject of some debate, the latest research suggests Gastornis used its enormous beak to kill prey, gripping an animal in its beak to paralyze it and then shaking its head to break the prey's spine.

PRONUNCIATION: GAS-TOR-NIS
LIVED: 56 – 41 million years ago
SIZE: 5.7 feet tall
FACT: Carnivorous, either hunting or scavenging
MEANING: Named after Gaston Planté, who found the first remains
CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE: Birds
RANGE: Europe