Titanis, the "Titan," was named for giant Greek gods that preceded the  Olympians; a fitting title for a bird this immense. Titanis stood at just under two meters tall, taller than the average human but shorter than other "terror birds" like its relative Phorusrhacos. However, despite its "small" stature, Titanis was more heavily built, with a  shorter but thicker neck. It was  made for speed; its two long,  muscular legs more than made up for the fact that it was completely flightless. In fact, it had the smallest of any phorusrhacid, but that didn't stop it from being a  fearsome predator.  Titanis lived in North America for  over three million years, lasting  from the Blancan to the Gelasian  stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. It  is the only known terror bird to  leave South America, migrating north to roam the plains of North America. Likely a carnivore, Titanis was  always in search of prey. It was a  devastating hunter; some experts  theorize that it used its powerful head to smash small prey on the  ground until they died, similar to  how seriemas kill their prey. For  larger prey, it's axe-like beak had the potential to viciously rip apart chunks of flesh.