Not to mention that if you somehow did render it domesticated, the traits you want in an effective warbeast are exactly counter to the traits you need to domesticate it. You just bred into something too timid to fight, and reintroducing lethality would bring it back to something that kills its "trainers".
Ignoring whether or not it could carry an armed man, because it'll fail long short of that.
War-horses were trained to kill men with their hooves.
War-horses were trained to kill men with their hooves.
Having them survive with the Native Americans holding them in revere in much the same way they do bears and wolves would be fascinating.
Would it be possible for the domesticated animal to differentiate between the trainer/friendly humans and enemies?A horse doesn't see its trainer as a meal. A Titanus just might.
So breeding them for aggressiveness - or to retain/regain it - would be a lot nastier than for warhorses.
Would it be possible for the domesticated animal to differentiate between the trainer/friendly humans and enemies?
If you want a nasty possibility, imagine some sacred birds in a yard, fed on human sacrifices, held by a group that has some vague similarity to OTL's Aztecs.
If only they could be transported to RomeHah, now that would be an interesting method of executing prisoners as well. Let it be a public spectacle, throw them to the Birds!
Hah, now that would be an interesting method of executing prisoners as well. Let it be a public spectacle, throw them to the Birds!
That would be awesomeNow that, in a Lost World/Pulp Adventures, would be awesome. ASB fantasy rather than this forum, but awesome.
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Isn't it really easy for birds to imprint on things that are near them when they hatch?
Steal the eggs of adult terror-birds and have the chicks imprint on the one who will train them for war.
The problem is, even if these critters view one particular soldier or officer as "Mommy," they might not share the same view of their "comrades."
Maybe the ones in close contact with the terror-birds wear distinctive uniforms so they think everyone with that uniform is their mother?
Well so much for domestication. Aside from that, I think humans will likely drive the animal to extinction or a greatly reduced range at the most.
Raise babies, establish dominance, kill aggressive ones, keep the docile ones.
Rinse and repeat for generations. Voila, bird cavalry![]()
Yeah. Thing is though they're going to be pretty smart and fairly adaptable (which makes them very dangerous.) Any sort of pursuit predator has to be.
They'll fall squarely into that category of shit you really want to avoid/keep at arm's reach.
Incidentally there was a thread on this a while back. It was rather silly.
So...a thread about a majestic and powerful Terror Bird surviving into the human era 'evolved' into a conversation about Europeans weaponizing their own feces? Was 2009 just the stupid era of the forums?
The one time "tastes like chicken" would actually be accurate.I now have a mental image of the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims cooking a Titanus on a spit...
Bruce