- published: 06 Aug 2009
- views: 3157
Cariamiformes (or Cariamae) is an order of primarily flightless birds that has existed for over 60 million years. The group includes the family Cariamidae (seriemas) and the extinct families Phorusrhacidae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae and Ameghinornithidae. Though traditionally considered as a suborder of Gruiformes, both morphological and genetic studies show that they belong to a separate group of birds, Australaves, whose other living members are Falconidae, Psittaciformes and Passeriformes.
This proposal has been confirmed by a 2014 study of whole genomes of 48 representative bird species. This analysis shows that the Cariamiformes are basal among extant Australaves, while falcons are next most basal; in combination with the fact that the two most basal branches of Afroaves (New World vultures plus Accipitriformes, and owls) are also predatory, it is inferred that the common ancestor of 'core landbirds' (Telluraves) was an apex predator.
The earliest known fossil belonging to this group is an isolated femur from the Cape Lamb Member of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation, Vega Island, Antarctica. This specimen, which dates to the late Cretaceous period 66 million years ago, is indistinguishable from the femurs of modern seriemas, and belonged to a large bird about 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall. Because of its age and geographic location, this unnamed species may have been close to the ancestry of both cariamids and phorusrhacids.
Chorus: repeat 2X
Nobody want'cha when you're down and out
Down and out
You got to keep on, treatin' me the way you do
[First Verse]
What's up with game, homie? I never saw you before
You got'z to be ridin' with them haters that be jockin' my flow
You say you always been down, but I never see you around
You was my friend in the beginning, but then you left when I was ass out
Now what's up on your block?
You supposed to be down when you say you down
But you weren't down then, what make me think you down now?
Wanna be ridin' right beside me cuz them girls on my jock
But you never wanna mess with me when I was choppin' up them rocks
I never did see your face, you never would put me up in your car
Asked you to take me to the store, you told me that was too far
But now I'm ridin' through your hood, makin' that mo money mo
Smokin' indo behind my tented window
And now I got my eyes closed when I be passin' you suckas by
No I wouldn't scoop you up and wouldn't address you if I tried
Got some real soldiers with me, cuz you suckas tryin' to get me
Ain't no shame in my game, plus my trigga finger itch
You can die, die, die over yay, yay, yay
When Cream step on the scene, that better be all you have to say
Don't play, you wanna get mad, cuz you thought I wasn't gone make it
But I done flipped it up and zipped it up, so suck it up and take it
Don't fake it
Chorus (2x)
[Second Verse]
Real is the only way to keep it, when you on the city streets
Watch your back for them jackers and keep your eye on your enemies
Cuz the side that we livin' in, you never know who's your friend
Your friend could be cool, and leave you dead in a blood pool
No rules to this game, or at least they all have been broken
My nigga got kicked over by a bitch, died with his eyes wide open
For shit like that gotta keep it strong and keep it loyal on your side
I wonder WHY, so many niggas I had, died of homicide
Reflect my life, bustin' too much for a young nigga
Hangin' tough, and keepin' myself in the game to make myself bigger
And thinkin' with this life, we can be down for the pound
Only time I got declined, so you know I be holdin' it down
Nigga if I'm a million years old,
I'd still be dealin' with fakes and them phonies
When I was down and out, the fakest ones are the ones who turned on me
So for them fakers fuck the rollin' show them slugs
Showin' 'em, bust your love
Man I'm about to light this bud and hold it down for all them thugs