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Prehistoric Life

How tall was Gastornis gigantea?

An adult Gastornis gigantea stood about 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) tall.

What is measured: adult standing height

Gastornis gigantea (1.8 m) drawn to scale beside an adult person (1.7 m) and a doorway (2 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Adult person (1.7 m), Gastornis gigantea (1.8 m) and Doorway (2 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About the same height as an adult person
  • About the same height as a doorway
  • About 4.7× as tall as a bowling pin
  • About 30% of the length of a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 12× as tall as a smartphone

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Facts about Gastornis gigantea

Gastornis was a large flightless bird from the Paleocene and Eocene, although its diet remains debated.

Source: Natural History Museum, Gastornis; Encyclopaedia Britannica, Gastornis

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Gastornis gigantea
Neanderthal1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)0.92×
Dimetrodon grandis1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)0.94×
Homo erectus1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)0.94×
Gastornis gigantea1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)this page
Coelodonta antiquitatis1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)same size
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)same size
Dire wolf1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)same size
Protoceratops andrewsi2 m (6 ft 7 in)1.1×
Castoroides ohioensis2 m (6 ft 7 in)1.1×
Elasmotherium sibiricum2 m (6 ft 7 in)1.1×

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