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Nature & Environment

The mystery of the elephant bird

By T.K. Randall
December 20, 2010 · Comment icon 14 comments

Image Credit: Kuruc - PD
Sir David Attenborough has returned to Madagascar to discover what happened to the elephant bird.
The massive bird was 10 feet tall and weighed half a ton but its extinction has always remained a mystery, while its unlikely they were hunted to extinction it is very possible that early humans would have assisted their demise through the collecting of their huge eggs that could feed whole families.
As souvenirs go, the giant fossilised egg that Sir David Attenborough keeps wrapped up for safe-keeping in the cellar of his London home is not bad for someone with a 60 year career as Britain's foremost natural history documentary maker.


Source: Telegraph | Comments (14)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #5 Posted by Eldorado 14 years ago
Once again, human overpopulation is to blame, but no one wants to do anything about it. Cannabilism could be the solution.
Comment icon #6 Posted by Wickian 14 years ago
If they didn't want to be eaten to death they shouldn't have tasted so good then.
Comment icon #7 Posted by realmcutter 14 years ago
i do learn something everyday, take that school . If only we could replace our supply of chickens with those, any chance of getting DNA from that egg?
Comment icon #8 Posted by Twinkle Arora is back 14 years ago
"which are 180 times bigger than a chicken egg, regularly provided food for entire families." LOL! they must have provided more than to a family!, LOL, 1 foot tall! and the most amusing thing I find is that how can some human at that time try to steal a 1 foot egg from an animal 10 feet tall and 1/2 a ton heavy, WoW he must have been a brave chap with no one to live for
Comment icon #9 Posted by DieChecker 14 years ago
Probably they would just run by and toss a torch on the nest, then come back in 15 minutes when their egg was done. It would be cool if they could resurrect the elephant bird from old DNA.
Comment icon #10 Posted by JohnnyBravo 14 years ago
Thats a load of crock.. I live in south africa. They were hunted to extinction in the early 1600s
Comment icon #11 Posted by Eldorado 14 years ago
*singing* "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose; may an elephant caress you with his toes..." (sorry, just had to type that)
Comment icon #12 Posted by Cherry- 14 years ago
Is it possible to get its DNA? Like its possible to get DNA from dinasors, but they never thought of using it.
Comment icon #13 Posted by marladenis 13 years ago
It is So inaccurate, the New Zealand moa were hunted by humans. eggs were eaten and forests were burned where she lived.In addition to its main predator Ahahrafgorniss (who devoured men as well) apparently added burden on the poor animal Since there had been hiding in forests. (Ahahrafgorniss is extinct giant eagle !).
Comment icon #14 Posted by Darkwind 13 years ago
It would make one hack of an omelet. People didn't understand the consequences of over using their resources back then. Look what happen on Easter Island. Actually I don't think we understand it to this day.
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