Elephant birds

17 Aug, 2023

Recently I learned about elephant birds, these birds that used to live in Madagascar that went extinct around roughly 1200 CE. These birds were massive creatures, three times the size of an ostrich, and with eggs larger than any other animal that has ever existed, including dinosaurs. Eggs that could feed a hundred people, eggs large enough to be used as bowls. Birds without wings, but with dominance over the landscape. These were birds that fascinated and struck awe into the hearts of humans. Their very name comes from the idea that they were chicks of a bird large enough to carry away an elephant in its talons. And we humans are the ones that drove them extinct.

A roc, the mythical analogue to the elephant bird

Looking at this animal, I can understand why. Imagine seeing this animal far away on a landscape. You are a hunter. This bird’s meat will feed your entire village, and it is right there, flightless. The hunt is on.

Isn’t it incredible that such a bird like this existed?? This is the stuff of legends. It’s like the ancient Middle Eastern story of the roc, a giant mythical bird that supposedly kidnapped Sinbad the Sailor, taking him to its nest to feed its young --- but it was real.

And this isn’t even the only bird of its size humans have run into. The moa --- another bird too big for flight --- roamed New Zealand for millions of years. It was related to the elephant bird. Something about the isolated environment of islands just makes them so conducive to gigantic, herbivorous animals.

Haast's eagle, descending on a pair of moa.

Clearly, we humans aren’t the only ones who have had the idea that large birds make an amazing snack. This is Haast’s eagle, the only natural predator of the moa. Archaeological evidence suggests that the moa went extinct less than 100 years after the Maori first arrived in New Zealand, likely due to being hunted to extinction. Elbowed out of its ecological niche, Haast’s eagle soon became extinct as well, unable to find a new primary food source.

It’s almost like humans just can’t be trusted with megafauna. Especially not megafauna that tastes good.

#animals #history #human nature #zoology