Imagine a bird that couldn't fit in your living room because its wings were too big. That's exactly what would happen if you tried to bring the Pelagornis sandersi home -- assuming houses and humans existed back then. Scientists have identified the fossils of what could be the largest flying bird ever found. With an estimated 20- to 24-foot wingspan, the extinct P. sandersi was twice the size of today's biggest flying bird, the royal albatross, according to the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina.
The viola is hundreds of years old. In fact, some reports say that it is the oldest of the string family. The viola has been utilized as a harmonic (as opposed to melodic) instrument by composers for hundreds of years. This is the main reason that people are less familiar with it than the violin or cello.
The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between 25 millimetres (0.98 in) and 100 millimetres (3.9 in) longer than the body of a full-size violin (i.e., between 38 and 46 centimetres (15 and 18 in)), with an average length of 41 centimetres (16 in). person who plays the viola is called a violist or a viola player. The technique required for playing a viola has certain differences compared with that of a violin, partly because of its larger size: the notes are spread out farther along the fingerboard and often require different fingerings.