Madagascar discovered the first giant bird in history to be up to 3 meters high

Where is the largest bird in history? This seemingly simple question turned out to have caused a great deal of debate among scientists in the long run.

Speaking of the largest bird, the first thing people think about is probably ostrich, but ostrich is not the largest member of the bird family. In 2018, paleontologists discovered and named a giant bird that once lived on Madagascar. Its size is equivalent to a dinosaur and they have become "the largest bird in history".

If you are an avid bird lover, you should know that the Aepyornis elephant bird also lives in Madagascar, the largest individual of this species can reach more weight. 500kg and reaches a height of 3 meters, much bigger than a modern cashew.

Aepyornis is a genus of the Aepyornithidae family, one of the three endemic Madagascar bird species.

In fact, not all elephant birds are of huge size. Historically there have been many species of elephant birds living on the island of Madagascar, they have all sizes, but their appearance and body structure are basically very similar.

The largest birds in history have had a period of time with humans, but due to climate change, habitat competition and partly human influence, their numbers have declined. and became extinct about 1,000 years ago. Until now, we humans only known them through their skeletons and their broken eggs.

Compare ostrich bones (left) and elephant birds (right).

Elephant bird eggs.

The knowledge of biologists about elephant birds so far has been mostly through unearthed skeletons. In 1894, Charles William Andrew named a species of elephant bird called Aepyornis titan . In 1963, American paleontologist Pierce Brodkorb pointed out that the elephant elephant Aepyornis titan and the elephant bird Aepyornis maximus are the same species, so separating Aepyornis titan is a completely new species.

Elephant fossil bones of elephants.

But in 2018, James Hansford and Samuel Turvey from the London Zoological Society discovered the relationship of the elephant bird Aepyornis maximus with the skeleton of the titan elephant bird Aepyornis once named and pointed out the difference. between them, so the titan giant Aepyornis is now recognized as an entirely new species.

At this time, the titan Aepyornis was named Vorombe , originating from Malagasy, meaning the "super-huge" bird, with its full scientific name, Vorombe titan.

Vorombe is one of the three species of elephant birds, an enormous family of extinct endemic bird species in Madagascar.

Vorombe titan is the largest bird in human history ever known, this giant bird is larger than the elephant Aepyornis and its height can reach over 3 meters. They are estimated to weigh between 540 and 730 kg, with an average weight of about 640 kg. When measuring a specimen of a femur belonging to a giant bird Vorombe titan, its circumference is 30 cm. It is estimated that this giant bird can weigh up to 860 kg when alive!

Compare the body shape of titanium Vorombe and adults.

Compare the body size of the giant bird Vorombe titan with a Magyarosaurus dinosaur.

Because of its size, the titan Vorombe has captured the largest bird in history, and it can even compete with food and habitat with the Magyarosaurus dinosaurs if they lived. same date together.

Giant birds are classified into the genus Aepyornithidae according to the family Aepyornithiformes, and they have an appearance similar to the elephant Aepyornis. This giant bird has a small head, long neck and curves, but on the contrary, its body is very sturdy and below the body are long legs, thick and strong. Unlike ostriches, because their bodies are so heavy, the giant Vorombe titan birds cannot run fast and keep their bodies stable, instead they can only walk.

The giant birds Vorombe titan cannot run fast and keep their bodies stable .

. they can only walk.

Vorombe titan is a purely terrestrial giant bird, which has lost its ability to fly, so its forelegs (wings) have shrunk to such an extent that it is almost invisible when hidden under the coat.

A large island far away from the African continent, Madagascar island hangs in the Indian Ocean. Long-term geographic isolation has formed a unique ecosystem with extremely unique animals and plants.

Madagascar island suspended in the Indian Ocean.

When humans set foot on Madagascar, they encountered large terrestrial birds including giant ones.

According to legend, the indigenous people of Madagascar once worshiped giant indigenous elephant birds like gods. They do not hunt these giant terrestrial birds on a large scale and often, but due to long-term human activity, their habitat has gradually shrunk. The continuous decline in the number of individuals and the birds' eggs has led to a large number of terrestrial birds facing a severe survival crisis.

Vorombe was doomed to extinction about 1,000 years ago.

Eventually they were doomed to extinction about 1,000 years ago, and some records believe that the last large land birds in Madagascar became extinct by the end of the 17th century. The last giant bird to go extinct was due to human influence. And why their size could be so big, perhaps due to the isolated geography, not having too many natural enemies for a long time allowed them to prosper. so.