The Tale of the Elephant Bird: The Biggest Bird Ever

[@Exquailibur]

Dont forget about lakes, AKA reverse islands. Some of the most interesting examples of this phenomenon are in likes such as Lake Baikal, Lake Matano, Lake Titicaca, and the various African rift lakes. Lake Baikal in particular is a very strange place, it even has very difficult to explain seals.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

The seals are just normal seals. They have not been separated from other seals long enough to evolve anything special. The giant Lake Baikal freshwater sponges are the real evolutionary showstoppers.

[@Exquailibur]

The fact the seals are so typical is what makes them strange, they are most closely related to the Caspian seal which lives very far away. We also just dont know how they got there or how long they have been there in general. Also the sponges are really cool, same with amphipods. Its basically a mini ocean, too bad its not being well managed.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

@@eljanrimsa5843 the reason the seals are interesting is because we still don't really know how tf they even got to Lake Baikal, their closest relatives live like 4400 km away

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@Dell-ol6hb There were multiple occasions when Lake Baikal and the Caspian Sea where it's nearest relative live were linked via giant glacial lakes and remnants of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Because there was more than one occasion we can't tell which one it was, that's the whole mystery here. I guess scientists would need a fossil from an intermediate form somewhere before they can say more about this.

[@gshaindrich]

@@peterbreis5407 simple logic = evolution: every pair of sister species has had an intermediate form! Same actually goes for any two species, regardless of being "closely related" or not.

[@ClintsReptiles]

This was a very fun and timely video as I might know a guy working on a video about all of the Palaeognathae right now... Your series on island evolution sounds amazing!

[@PaleoAnalysis]

I'm starting to wonder if Dinosaur December ever really ended. 👀

[@squelchotron8259]

@@PaleoAnalysis Not in our hearts.

[@rodrigopinto6676]

@@PaleoAnalysis question, why don’t you talk about the intelligence of the Tyrannosaurus rex is the MAIN topic??????

[@aadityapandey4399]

@@PaleoAnalysisending of one dino December is just the start of the evolution of a new one

[@icarusbinns3156]

I learned about the elephant bird around age 7? And was OBSESSED! On a family trip to the zoo, a keeper was talking about flightless birds, and had eggs on display. She had a chicken egg for reference. When I asked what bird the biggest egg came from, she said, “Take a guess. Where do you think it came from?” I happily answered, “The elephant bird!” I had no idea they were extinct yet! This poor woman was shocked, and completely speechless. After a bit, she looked at Mom, who just sighed and said, “She learned about them two months ago. The library has had to request obscure books from elsewhere so she can keep reading about this bird.” The keeper finally told me, “That’s a pretty good guess, but I don’t have any of those. This egg came from an ostrich, though. Those are the biggest living birds in the world. I’m sorry that the elephant bird is long gone… like the dinosaurs.”

[@gshaindrich]

"I’m sorry that the elephant bird is long gone… like the dinosaurs" ... of course that is wrong, sadly most people don´t know that, almost every week from paleo-youtubers to Elon Musk always claiming "the dinosaurs died out" when they didn´t. Sadly dying out is true for moas and madagassian giants, both like others eg the dodo and Rodriguez solitaire being wipe out by humans. "The library has had to request obscure books from elsewhere" ... sigh, yeah adults would like to keep children dumb

[@martijn9568]

Hats off to the keeper for acknowledging that she didn't really know much about the Elephant Birds. Your story also reminds me of my long forgotten quest of finding information on certain extinct tree species included in the video game Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs. The poor man at the museum couldn't help me with that quest or my broken Latin when I was 10.😅

[@StonedtotheBones13]

Y'know... You made me realize channels like these and other edutainment channels are made for kids like us who loved learning everything about something.

[@icarusbinns3156]

@@gshaindrich this was 1998, when it happened. She was trying not utterly confuse a young child.

[@gshaindrich]

@@icarusbinns3156 nothing against the zoo keeper in 1998, didn´t mean her any offense. But so many people still don´t know or accept that birds are dinosaurs today. So the more often it is mentioned the better.

[@kattheyak]

I feel like a problem with other Paleo KZbinrs is that they repeat themselves too much and are redundant. I usually end up not watching the whole video. I love this channel because it's not so repetitive and I feel like I'm learning new information every minute I'm watching rather than having the same facts repeating over and over! Keep up the great work 💖

[@TheBelrick]

I call bs on all those animals developing flightlessness. It is yet another example of lazy non-science passed as science to the masses. How convenient it is FOR THE SO CALLED SCIENTISTS to dismiss the mystery so easily.

[@AlbertWillHelmWestings2618]

yeah iv noticed that the same way when comparing Paleo Analysis to other paleo youtubers, constant feed of info with little repetition which is very nice and what i like about Paleo Analysis

[@susanfarley1332]

I hate repetition. I do cut the video short every the I'm subjected to it. Enjoying the heck out of this channel.

[@nerysghemor5781]

@@AlbertWillHelmWestings2618 Dang. I guess that makes me super lucky that Paleo Analysis is the first paleo KZbinr I ever found (and the only one I am subscribed to).

[@someonerandom8552]

@@nerysghemor5781 Lol same. It was a pretty random recc. And a good one for a change

[@balenfalotico2283]

The Elephant Bird is truly the BIGGEST BIRD 🦤

[@agnieszkasobera1870]

Giant moa

[@christopheroquend136]

You can tell how much fun he had making that end card

[@whiteknightcat]

Note: Elephant bird chasing Tin-Tin while name of patreon "Crispy Fried Chicken" scrolled past.

[@johnwalters1341]

Really enjoyed your video! Having spent the 1970s In Hawaii, I became fascinated with the local ecosystems, and with island ecology in general. One of my main references at the time was "Island Ecology," by Sherwin Carlquist. It has probably gotten dated by now, but it's worth looking for. One of the many peculiar Hawaiian ecosystems is that found in lava tubes, which are caves left behind by flowing lava. The only energy input to these little mini-ecosystems is tree roots growing down through the ceilings of these caves, so each cave has evolved its own suite of critters that feed on the roots, or feed on the critters that eat the roots. There are blind wolf spiders, and a bunch of blind insects as well. Then there are the carnivorous inchworms, which feed on any of the hundreds of Drosophila (fruit fly) species. And the giant dragonflies...I could go on and on... And other island groups have equally interesting ecosystems. There are lots of ways to go if you're interested in studying island ecosystems!

[@ivestan-os1mc]

Wow you’re lucky you had a chance to see a lot of birds that are now extinct since the 70’s

[@mrmayo5905]

Island ecology and evolution is one of the most fascinating subjects in all of paleobiology. Some of the most unique ecosystems and species come from islands. It’s really awesome to hear that you’ll be dedicating so much well deserved attention to them. Hats off

[@randomjaddis9680]

If you delve deeper into Fosters Rule, I’d love to get your speculation on how an island ecosystem, like Hatzeg, could even support large sauropods long enough for them to shrink in size. I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around the length of time needed for that evolution without the large creatures stripping the island bare

[@stevenschnepp576]

It was about 80,000 square kilometers, so it's not like they were crammed onto a postage stamp.

[@randomjaddis9680]

@@stevenschnepp576 I appreciate the size reference of the island. It’s my own ignorance for not googling Hatzeg island. I still imagine there’s got to be some pressure on vegetation when you account for possible herd size and different groups at that.

[@jamesstader6650]

Birds are related to theropod dinosaurs but ratites long necks and small heads relate more to sauropods. Could it be junk DNA from Dinosauria in general... hmmm.

[@stevenschnepp576]

@@jamesstader6650 Oh, my, no. In fact, the long necks and small heads are present in other therapods, too.

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

Absolutely fantastic video Paleo! Keep up the amazing work and Thank You for making fun and enjoyable content!

[@Dionaea_floridensis]

The quality of your videos just keeps getting better and better, it's an absolute pleasure to watch you grow!

[@vostyok6030]

Have been listening to these while recovering in hospital and can't wait for the next "history of" episode. Thank you for these. Have really enjoyed them

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Been finding a few new channels to subscribe to over the holiday period including a couple of paleo channels. I just found your one tonight and really like it. Visually well presented, informative, but also light and refreshing. Much more akin to listening to a friend tell you something than sitting at a lecture. A nice channel that I have now subscribed to. Great stuff.

[@RipzRockz]

I was watching the older videos from the complete history of the earth series and started talking to my girlfriend about South America being separated for millions of years and even mentioned the elephant bird but I didn’t tell her where it was from bc I couldn’t remember. So I get on KZbin 4 hours later and a see a video about the bird I was talking about is on my feed and not only that it was the same KZbinr! That’s super crazy and awesome. Nice video bro.

[@barron204]

Interesting video. It would be nice to see your analysis of New Zealand birds and reptiles, due to the islands shifting, submerging and the volcanic changes.

[@Pongo.033]

IM THE BIGGEST BIRD IM THE BIGGEST BIRD

[@griffenbaum]

IM THE BIGGEST BIRD IM THE BIGGEST BIRD.

[@connorhaley3190]

@@griffenbaum I’M THE BIGGEST BIRD I’M THE BIGGEST BIRD!

[@JUSTS3TH-REAL]

IM THE BIGGEST BIRD

[@Ominous_Oracle_27]

I’M THE BIGGEST BIRD I’M THE BIGGEST BIRD

[@kattheyak]

IM THE BIGGEST BIRD IM THE BIGGEST BIRD

[@waywardscythe3358]

the elephant bird cry activated my kitten, she attacked the speaker lol

[@tehanu99]

Love the videos, I learn so much new stuff every time and I love the Tim-Tim bits, they always manage to make me smile. Thank you for your hard work 😊

[@CHIBItheSPARROW]

As a small modern bird, I find the subject fascinating. Thank you for your informative and fun videos.

[@V1ncenz010]

He’s da biggest bird

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

Really great stuff, keep it up. And, yes, the island thing is really interesting.

[@melissam8939]

You are such a great presenter and writer. Thanks for the always engaging content!

[@cavemancaveman5190]

It's Barak Obama

[@BGSenTineL]

I see Paleo Analysis uploads a video - I PRESS LIKE before I watch it , because I know it is going to be gold as always !

[@islandvibez]

11:25 actually, anthropologists put the settlement of Madagascar as being around the time period of 350 BC-500 AD, which makes Madagascar some of the last major landmasses to be settled by humans, predating only Iceland and New Zealand. The ancestors of the Malagasy people came from the east across the Indian Ocean from what is now Borneo via outrigger canoes. The current day Malagasy people have a unique Bantu-Austronesian admixture, with the coastal Malagasy being of higher Bantu admixture than the Malagasy of the central highlands.

[@derekburge5294]

Oh Tim-Tim... It's amazing you've lived even this long.

[@1969kodiakbear]

Tale. This is so cool. By the way, I have difficulty communicating because I had a stroke in Broca’s area, the part of the brain that controls speech. 2/8/2021 but I lived again. (My wife helped me compose this.)

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

Glad your still with us Kodiak, had brain surgery in 05 to remove a 4 inch long cyst on my brain, have been having seizures ever since, then fought stage 4 cancer. Lost 7 inches of my small intestine on that one. I just recently started losing my memory from the seizures, I do kind of understand. My ex also had a stroke, she's still struggling with it, but she just recently went back to work. Keep your head up, trust in the Lord and he will provide. ❤

[@ZeFroz3n0ne907]

I'll watch a video, hit the like button and then forget about it a couple minutes later, so I'll check that I actually did it. When I noticed I was losing my memory I would get very short-tempered and snap at people and I hated that, so I started making notes and watching videos like this and ones about physics and astronomy, all kinds of stuff. It really seems to help, but, you find what works for you. Wishing you the best! - Dave from Alaska

[@nicoherrmann6377]

Its wild to think how we were so close to being able to witness these animals yet we know so little about them

[@arnaudt3935]

Thank you for your work, and giving thanks to everyone of us, not only patreons,sometimes we simply cannot afford ... Big thanks to you !

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Love the TierZoo shout-out, & the appearance of so many NZ birds! 🥰 In light of our local moa I've always found extinct ratites pretty interesting, & this episode was just fascinating! Particularly appreciated the explanation of why birds are the ones that tend to experience insular gigantism rather than dwarfism. So weird how so many ratite species all went the flightless route in so many different environments!

[@TugiFox]

I'd love for you to make a video on the ecological history of Antarctica... It's dinosaurs and how it's ecosystem evolved differently to other continents. Would be so fascinating! Loving all the New Zealand content (let's go kiwis!). Love how many of the flightless birds shown in the video I recognise from various backyards I've lived in across the country... please keep up the incredible work!!

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Second all that! 😊 Recognised both bird species & some of the aerial bush shots used in this episode, and would looove to see some paleo-Antarctic coverage! Wish we had gotten elephant birds in Aotearoa, they sound even cooler than the moa! 😆

[@shadowscribe]

I imagine their mobility was the bird equivalent to it's namesake, it didn't run in the strictest sense, it just plodded along somewhat quickly.

[@sydhenderson6753]

I've read that elephants can simply walk at 40 mph.

[@MikeAG333]

@@sydhenderson6753 No. 40kph (=24mph) is more realistic. I've been chased by elephants a number of times, and if they could do 40mph I wouldn't be replying to you.

[@DominiqueEugene-m7k]

⁠​⁠@@MikeAG333 If you were on foot and have been chased by Elephants “multiple times”, you wouldn’t be here. Elephants can outrun any human (except for Usain). Those were 100% bluff chargers to get you away from it. Might I also ask, what does one do to get “chased by elephants multiple times”? Sounds like you’re just an a*shole messing with wildlife, if I’ll be honest.

[@ThePurza]

Keep doing your thing man, really appreciate your videos

[@nerysghemor5781]

As a woman, those eggs are painful to even think about. 😮

[@eybaza6018]

Think about how they would have tasted!

[@TheDuckyDino]

Just ask the Kiwi

[@nerysghemor5781]

@@TheDuckyDino Yeah, OUCH.

[@0ddSavant]

No doubt. Childbirth had about a 10% fatality rate for most of human history, and babies were smaller [Largely due to poor nutrition]. If women were consistently birthing 20% of their body mass that mortality would be absurd [Absurder? 10% is already stupid high] and humans would be long extinct by now. Cheers!

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

Don't forget-it was the heaviest bird that ever lived, so that kinda offsets the massive size of the egg.

[@shanov]

I laughed so hard at the Kiwi and their egg problem. I knew that info before this video, but I have never seen anyone put it in such an hilarious way.

[@Astrapionte]

WHATTTTTTTT I REQUESTED THIS VIDDD! I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@akumaking1]

BIRD HEAVY LIVES!

[@peter_the_pancake5170]

Thank you for requesting this Video

[@StephenJohnson-jb7xe]

I love the Tier Zoo reference, it is such a good channel.

[@magmat0585]

You always have some of the most interesting videos, and I learn stuff I didn't know. Fun and useful!

[@yingfortheking]

At first i thought this was a video on the terrorbirds, but id never heard of the elephant bird before! What a large squawker!

[@shibolinemress8913]

Just want to day that your intro music - and overall - sound quality is amazing. Even with my bog standard headphones it feels like surround sound, so I often involuntarily look around to see where the percussion is coming from! 👍

[@alexbiggeek1349]

im not a patron yet but as someone who lives on an island, i am excited to see more island evolution videos.

[@PaleoAnalysis]

Hateg Island is currently in the cooker! 👍👀

[@alexbiggeek1349]

@@PaleoAnalysis cant wait to watch it. love your videos.

[@sundoga4961]

Wow. I would NOT have expected the closes relative of the Aepyornids to be the Kiwi.

[@kellyharrison5184]

Thank you for illuminating one of my favorite subjects! Well done, as always.

[@xavier84623]

Great video. I checked, and I can’t find a single video on pampatheres. I think most people have never heard of them which is why they lost the poll so bad. Maybe you should do a video on them and show us how great they are :D

[@martijn9568]

The fact that humans and Elephant Birds coexisted for so long before the Elephant Birds died out probably points to less predation of these animals by humans. I imagine that there were some efforts by the inhabitants of Madagascar to limit their hunting of these birds as they became rarer. I personally have my suspicions that this wasn't the only case where humans actually limited their impact on the environment, because the Greenland Norsemen did the same when it came to hunting seals. Rather than hunting the land-going seals they focused on the ice sheet staying seals, otherwise those other seals would have quickly died out. The probably a whole branch of archeology and biology(and probably history) that focuses on this question as it would be too easy to say humans did it and leave it at that. Besides that, I didn't even realise that there probably existed multiple species of Elephant Birds😅

[@dragonfolkstudios]

You my friend, are a font of fascinating knowledge AND an exceptional Storyteller! BRAVO and Rock On!

[@SamwellBritton]

Great :) I'm shocked about the Kiwi connection! Incredible.

[@kinglyzard]

I'd love to hear more about this iguana sized, arboreal crocodile, Mr. Therapsid, sir.

[@BorderWise12]

I will never get tired of people freaking out at kiwi eggs. 😆 Warm greetings from New Zealand, love your content! ✌

[@ThortheGodly]

This channel is awesome. I am so happy it popped into my feed.

[@NomicFin]

Ratites, or paleognaths, are weird in general, and almost seem to be predisposed to evolving away derived bird traits. Recent fossil evidence suggests that, unlike previously thought, their jaw structure (which is simpler than in any other living bird, causing their beak to be far less mobile) is not a basal trait that they retained because they separated from the last common ancestor between them and all other living birds(the neognaths) before the evolution of a more mobile beak, but that their ancestors used to have a neognath jaw structure and lost it in favor of a structure more similar to non-avian dinosaurs and pre-modern avians. They've also repeatedly evolved flightlesness (obviously not the only birds to do so, but every living ratite is either completely flightless or at best only capable of short-distance flight, and ratites have repeatedly lost the ability to fly even when not living on islands) and more "primitive" feathers (something not seen in all flightless birds: the kakapo and dodo for example don't display this, though neither do all ratites). There just seems to something about these birds that seems to make them try very hard to evolve back into non-avian theropods.

[@danmurphy9480]

I’ve been convalescing with COVID and these episodes have kept me from going stir crazy and refreshing lessons I had decades ago. What is really amazing is just how much the thinking and ideas have changed in the last 45 years since I took these classes in college. An old dog can relearn. You do have to speak up and repeat yourself a few times, but we can still get it.

[@lawaincooley6788]

We're new fans. Thank you for your interesting content and down to earth explanations and well researched presentation!!

[@Badeentencop]

very interesting video. looking forward to see your ideas about island evolution becoming realized. keep it up

[@DragonFae16]

You should do a collab with the Atlas Pro channel on the effects of islands on evolution. He's already done videos about the biogeography of islands, so I think a video where the two of you work together would be really cool.

[@nicolegoodew1547]

I loved the video with the tree crocodiles, I really wish these were still around

[@personifiedmarvel]

Which one is it?

[@Alister222222]

I would argue that many species grow larger not because of the lack of predators, but because it puts them, or more specifically their offspring, in the 'too big' range for predators. In my country of New Zealand, we have kiwis, which aren't large, but have the largest egg by bodyweight of any bird. Baby kiwis are just big enough to be safe from moreporks, the main nocturnal predator in pre-European New Zealand. We also had the moa, which was preyed upon by the Haast's eagle, and which would explain its large size. The larger they grew, the safer they would be from the giant eagles. This would also explain why the Haast's eagle grew so large, as they were in an arms race with the largest birds on the island.

[@eybaza6018]

Let's not forget about the Eyles' harrier

[@SmorgeMcbork]

I'd like to imagine there are still elephant birds somewhere out there. Maybe a big yellow one with a shaggy mastodon friend, hiding out somewhere in New York.

[@whiteknightcat]

I feel the idea for a sitcom germinating in my brain!

[@largent45]

I love your videos. Each one has its own personality that lends its self a video world all it own. And i love your island adventures idea. Its amazing!

[@VoltTOTA74]

As the "Bigest Bird" song becomes popular how fitting

[@robertwood4681]

Madagascar is a very big island but is fourth biggest not third as you stated coming after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo.

[@aeronlangheim3462]

Maybe you can do a video on the Wrangel island mammoths or the dwarf elephants on Crete. Another fun one could be all the weird little micro habitats that used to exist on various islands in the Mediterranean.

[@mbvoelker8448]

Yes! Mini-elephants FTW.

[@tracelynnsangster]

What an interesting well written video! Crazy how the Kiwi is its closest surviving relative. Those poor birds and their eggs 😅

[@zevrxn]

unrelated but i wanted to thank you, your channel gave me and my girlfriend new interesting stuff to talk about (which is always nice when you talk to someone everyday pretty much all day)

[@DneilB007]

Would love to see a deeper dive into island ecosystems. I’m intrigued by the concept that species like Varanus sivalensis & the Komodo dragon might be examples of insular dwarfism, being smaller versions of Megalania. I don’t think that there’s a direct line from one to the, but the idea intrigues me.

[@Cecilia-bp2dn]

Excellent research and very well communicated - thank you!

[@ToothlessWizard]

Love your videos. Love the support. Good stuff. :)

[@cyrilio]

Love seeing TierZoo being referenced. Seriously an amazing KZbinr.

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the awesome content and great video!!

[@jaganrpillai]

The saddest thing is how close it came to surviving till the Industrial era,when someone would have known it's predicament and tried to save it

[@meg2831]

Crazy how big they were! It's just amazing!

[@NancyLebovitz]

I'd have sworn I'd seen an argument that ostrich eggs were about as big as an egg could be because oxygen has to filter through the shell to the developing bird. Maybe elephant birds had a mutation which produced more porous shells that were still strong enough to support the weight of the egg.

[@Stgpop]

I hope some day we can get back a few of every giant bird, just to study them.. I wonder what they would know instinctually to do and what they have to learn from parents

[@khango6138]

Yes please on the videos on island habitats!!

[@andreagriffiths3512]

Poor Tim Tim! I wouldn’t want to face off against a giant emu-esque bird. Emus are scary enough!

[@dwerggalago]

As always: brilliant video! Love your content!

[@Liethen]

Born too early to sail the stars, born too late to ride a chocobo.

[@FrogInShorts]

A two gallon sized egg is about 128 medium sized chicken eggs, forget feeding a family this thing could feed a whole tribe,

[@paulbags123]

Absolutely brilliant 👏. Great entertaining video and I especially liked the ending 🤣

[@sauraplay2095]

Great video paleo!👍

[@hailmammonmoments7568]

Glad I found your channel, I never would have guessed that these giant ostriches were actually giant kiwis.

[@josieschultz4241]

please make this elephant bird a reoccurring character i love her

[@Astrofrank]

Little correction: You said "half billion square kilometer land mass", but Madagascar has only half a million km² (as shown as number). But the video is very good, as I expect from you.

[@senorsuave]

Love big birds. Always been a fan

[@EndreaiYT]

BUT IM THE BIGGEST BIRD IM THE BIGGEST BIRD! IM THE BIGGEST BIRD IM THE BIGGEST BIRD🦤🦤🦤🦤🦤🦤 Post-Video Edit: Damn it humans, killing all the megafauna, can’t have shit on Earth.

[@akumaking1]

“BIRD HEAVY LIVES!” ~Pootis Bird

[@eybaza6018]

Can't have sh*t in the holocene💀💀💀

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Excellent. Timmy the Azz-hat. I'm actually very interested in the Moa, can it be classified as a Elephant bird ? and it's relationship with the NZ giant eagle.

[@nadeen3157]

I wonder if the genus has a genetic susceptibility to losing flight. While i can see it being a big coincidence it makes more sense to me if their common ancestor was already a (relatively) few steps short of that too

[@kassy6373]

Maybe it is not about losing flight but being good at growing big fast which a lot of other birds did not do even if they discovered the islands earlier. Dropping flight is then just a consequence. Think of it as them running the old dinosaur program.

[@gertjevanpoppel7270]

I think the extinction of the largest bird species can be also several causes. We always tend to search for 1 cause when we talk about extinction, but like mentioned in the video it could be a mix of causes. Like habitat loss , disease brought with domestic animals, egg hunting for example. I think most extinctions we see in the history of the world are a combination of factors that causes the extinction of most species.😀 Thanks again for a great video and explanation 👍😀

[@messiahmatrix]

This is fascinating stuff! Thanks you for your efforts.

[@theofficialken1755]

The Moa and the Haast Eagle are the interesting bunch you should cover

[@sarahaufssri4529]

As someone that owns chickens, I would imagine the people living at the same time as the elephant bird fearing them. Flightless birds are violent

[@rolloxra670]

Madagascar is such a unique place

[@jamesjury6943]

Would love to see you a whole video on new zealand, as it has so much weird biodiversity for such a small place

[@RobbyBurney]

These are so fun. Thank you broseph

[@RobinMarks1313]

Big pumice raft islands. This is how big birds got around. edit had to add. I don't mean to be a twit, but, Darwin started getting the idea of natural selection because of pigeons. Rich folks back in Darwin's day bred "Fancy Pigeons". Check them out, so cool. He had also knew farmers selected animals for their traits. However, the wild array of selections of pigeon breeders got him wondering if that's how nature come up with all the "wild" designs. Pigeons are cool. They've been awarded metals during wars. They were the thing that sparked Darwin's imagination. Pigeons are super smart and can be trained to do a wide variety of tasks. Pigeons have even been turned into weapons by evil scientists working for armies. Pigeons can do math. Pigeons are friendly, can dance, and have intense relationships with their partners. I'm sure there's more. I'll stop.

[@chivonfortney1656]

I love you videos and channel!! ☺

[@Tom_McMurtry]

The south island giant moa was the tallest bird ever though! And the Haast eagle the biggest flying bird to meet humans. They lived in New Zealand

[@erichtomanek4739]

It should be remembered that the elephant bird and co. survived the glacial and interglacial periods of our current ice age. This means it survived the forests contracting and expanding; the birds were under stress and then able to regrow its numbers when more favoured climatic conditions returned. It was humans, the ancestors of the Malagasy, and all they do, that caused the death knell of the elephant bird.

[@erichtomanek4739]

And this goes world wide.

[@DaFishy2]

Agreed

[@2d_raptor371]

While vorombe titan was the largest and heaviest and reached 9.8ft and 10ft, The South Island giant moa was the tallest reaching 11ft or 12ft standing at max height

[@chheinrich8486]

Exactly, but how often did moas raised their heads to these hights 🤔

[@mudotter]

That was so fun 😊 Thank you for doing it ❣️

[@felixVanDiemen]

Thank you for this video, fascinating!

[@chrisbailey6351]

Decades ago maybe in the 1960,s David Attenborough went to Madagascar and filmed a short sequence about elephant birds. I saw that footage once years ago and was very intrigued by it. 18:33