Pleistovultur

Pleistovultur Temporal range: Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Cathartidae
Genus:	† Pleistovultur Alvarenga et al., 2008
Species:	†P. nevesi
Binomial name
†Pleistovultur nevesi Alvarenga et al., 2008

Pleistovultur is an extinct genus of large New World vulture from the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene of South America. The type species P. nevesi was described based in a complete and well preserved right tibiotarsus from the Cuvieri cave deposits in Lagoa Santa region in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It was larger than Sarcoramphus papa , but smaller than Vultur gryphus . ^[1]

Diet

P. nevesi is assumed to be a scavenger, like other New World vultures. In 2025, researchers completed the first isotopic analysis of bones found at Lajedo de Soledad, Brazil, which indicated that Pleistovultur fed primarily on animal carcasses in open areas. ^[2]

References

1. Alvarenga, H.; Brito, G. R. R.; Migotto, R.; Hubbe, A.; Höfling, E. (2008) Pleistovultur nevesi gen. et sp. nov. (Aves: Vulturidae) and the diversity of condors and vultures in the South American Pleistocene. Ameghiniana 45 (3): 613-618.
2. da Costa, João Paulo; et al. (2025). "Late Quaternary birds from Lajedo de Soledade, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil". Quaternary International. 752. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2025.110054.