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Kelenken is a genus of phorusrhacid, an extinct group of large, predatory birds, which lived in what is now Argentina about 15 million years ago. The only known specimen was discovered by high school student Guillermo Aguirre-Zabala in Patagonia, and was made the holotype of the new genus and species Kelenken guillermoi in 2007. The generic name references a spirit in Tehuelche mythology, and the specific name honors its discoverer. The holotype consists of a nearly complete skull, a lower leg bone and a toe bone. The discovery of Kelenken clarified the anatomy of large phorusrhacids: flightless birds with long hind limbs, small wings, huge skulls and hooked beaks. At 716 mm (28.2 in) long, the skull of Kelenken is the largest known of any bird. Kelenken is thought to have been about 3 m (10 ft) tall and exceeded 100 kg (220 lb) in weight. It differs from its relatives in its larger size, length of its beak and details of its skull. It is thought to have been a fast-running ground predator. (Full article...)
Did you know ...
- ... that when the new church of St. Martinus (pictured) in Hattersheim was built in 1915 with Jugendstil elements, the architect incorporated parts from the earlier church?
- ... that Walter Nolen was ranked by ESPN and USA Today as the number-one player in the 2022 college football recruiting class?
- ... that the poor of ancient Rome were compared to dogs by the Roman writer Martial?
- ... that Hayley Kiyoko aimed for a fully LGBT cast while casting the video for her song "For the Girls"?
- ... that The Twins, a 1930 story by Abd al-Quddus al-Ansari, was called the first Saudi Arabian novel?
- ... that the Sweet Vengeance Mine was owned and operated by Black miners during the California Gold Rush?
- ... that at the request of Regine Velasquez, her former manager Ronnie Henares directed the concert Twenty?
- ... that ice hockey commentator Jack Michaels began his career announcing an ostrich race?
In the news
- William Ruto (pictured) is elected President of Kenya.
- In Giza, Egypt, a church fire spreads to a nursery, killing 41 people, including at least 18 children.
- Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, is critically injured after a stabbing at a speech in the United States.
- A mass fish kill occurs in the river Oder in Poland and Germany.
On this day
August 27: Independence Day in Moldova (1991)
- 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeated the Royal Navy, preventing them from capturing the harbour of Grand Port on Mauritius.
- 1964 – South Vietnamese junta leader Nguyễn Khánh entered into a triumvirate power-sharing arrangement with rival generals Trần Thiện Khiêm and Dương Văn Minh, both of whom had been involved in plots to unseat Khánh.
- 1990 – American musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the most influential guitarists in the revival of blues in the 1980s, was killed in a helicopter crash.
- 2003 – Mars (pictured) made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing within approximately 55,758,000 km (34,650,000 mi).
- 2009 – The Myanmar military junta and ethnic armies began three days of violent clashes in the region of Kokang.
- Josquin des Prez (d. 1521)
- Rebecca Clarke (b. 1886)
- Norman Foster Ramsey Jr. (b. 1915)
Today's featured picture
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Rhacophorus kio is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. First described from Laos, the species is also known from southern China (Yunnan and Guangxi), northern Thailand, eastern India, Vietnam, and Cambodia. It is an arboreal species that has been recorded from primary and secondary evergreen rainforests with a closed Canopy, generally at low elevations. This R. kio frog was photographed in Kui Buri National Park, Thailand. Photograph credit: Rushenb
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