Giants of the Sky: Charleston Museum Fossils Reveal the World’s Largest Bird

Join Dr. Daniel Ksepka of the Bruce Museum for the final installment in the Charleston Museum’s spring 250th anniversary lecture series.

Pelagornis sandersi was the largest bird ever to fly. With a wingspan of 21 feet, this magnificent species was twice the size of the California Condor. By chance of fate, the only known skeleton of this species was discovered at Charleston Airport in 1983. The bones emerged from sediments laid down 24 million years, when present-day Charleston was still submerged by the Atlantic Ocean. A member of the extinct “bony-tooth bird” family Pelagornithidae, Pelagornis sandersi had a beak filled with sharp bony projections called pseudoteeth, ultra-hollow bones, and a bizarre wing shape optimized for gliding.

In his lecture, Dr. Ksepka will present the history of fossil discoveries that shaped our view of pelagornithid birds and ongoing research into their evolution, reproductive biology, and flight patterns.

Registration is encouraged. This lecture is free for members and the public. A $10 donation is suggested.