Elephant bird
Aepyornis maximus
The elephant birds ( Aepyornithidae, even ostriches Madagascar or Malagasy Vorompatras ) are an extinct family of flightless birds with the two genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis. It is famous for fossils and numerous subfossil Eifunde of the island of Madagascar off Africa's east coast. The initial discovery of a fossil of these birds, the Frenchman Alfred Grandidier during one of his research trips on the island between 1865 and 1870.
Anatomy
The Aepyornithiden exhibited the typical cursioriale Anatomy of a ground bird: the legs were long and the toes short, while the flying machine was regressed almost completely. The arm bones are lost to the humerus, the sternum is flat and ungekielt. The neck is long and carries a relatively small skull. Aepyornis maximus was the greatest representative of the taxon and probably 2.7 to 3 m in height and over 400 kg in weight has been achieved. This is one of the largest known birds of the earth's history and the largest bird in historical time, exceeded only by the approximately equal height, but presumably heavier Dromornis stirtoni from the Miocene or comparable to Brontornis burmeisteri, although it was also about the same, However, a small valued weight of 350 to 400 kg reached. The Riesenmoa ( Dinoris ) with an apex height of up to 3.6 meters and an estimated weight of around 250 kg which has been cut off at the end of the 14th century, were the only birds that reached similar proportions during historical times. From Aepyornis maximus also subfossil eggshells and whole eggs are known, the extent of one meter and the length is 34 cm in some cases up to.
Evolution and biogeography
The Aepyornithiden were endemic to Madagascar. Madagascar separated already in the Cretaceous from the continent of Africa, what some had a loss of flight ability of Vorompatra include in situ. Phylogenomic studies support the paraphyly of ratites in classic view and suggest an independent loss of the ability to fly within the ratites. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that elephant birds are used within the Urkiefervögel close with a taxon of the kiwis, emus and cassowaries.
Food
There is no direct evidence of food that took elephant birds usually to himself. Most extant ratites are omnivores. However, there are thick shelled rainforest fruits on Madagascar, which were designed according to some on the digestion by ratites. Thus, as the fruit of today's highly endangered coconut palm Voaniola gerardii such a thick shell on, and some Madagascan palm fruits show a dark blue -violet color (eg Revenea louvelii and Satranala decussilvae ), similar to those fruits which are preferred by cassowaries.
Species
The Aepyornithidae family is usually divided into two genera. Aepyornis with four species and Mullerornis with three species.
Aepyornis
- Aepyornis gracilis ( Monnier, 1913)
- Aepyornis hildebrandti ( Burckhardt, 1893)
- Aepyornis maximus (Hilaire, 1851)
- Aepyornis medius ( Milne -Edwards & Gran Didier, 1866)
Mullerornis
- Mullerornis betsilei ( Milne -Edwards & Gran Didier, 1894)
- Mullerornis agilis ( Milne -Edwards & Gran Didier, 1894)
- Mullerornis rudis ( Milne -Edwards & Gran Didier, 1894)
Extinction
Vorompatras were once common on Madagascar and spread over the whole island. It is true largely in agreement about the fact that the extinction of the elephant bird is due to human influences. Maybe were the big birds as an important meat suppliers. There are several documents of elephants slaughtered birds. In particular, the eggs of Vorompatras may have been compromised, there is evidence that they have been prepared as a meal. Probably also operated by the indigenous swidden played an additional role, as they destroyed large areas of habitat of the elephant bird. Furthermore, it is possible that diseases transmitted by imported poultry, played a role.
The date of the extinction of elephant birds is not safe in use. Archaeological evidence prove an afterlife until at least the year 1000. Occasionally there is speculation about the survival of the Vorompatra to the 17th century. The first governor of Madagascar, Étienne de Flacourt, reported by a large bird who laid the egg of an ostrich and the Ampartes inhabited. This bird seeking the most remote regions to be not threatened by people.
Etymology
Elephant bird
It is often assumed that the Aepyornithidae the origin of the legends ( other spellings: Bird Ruch or skirt) around the bird Roch. A historical indication is found in Megiser ( 1623). The term elephant bird comes from Marco Polo's descriptions of her Roch, in which an eagle -like bird was described by the size of an elephant. Eggs of Vorompatra may have been erroneously interpreted as that of a giant bird of prey, which Aepyornis maximus earned that name. Another possibility is that the Roc is based on sightings of the now extinct Malagasy relatives of the crown eagle, Stephanoaetus mahery.
Vorompatra
Vorompatra is the old name for the Malagasy Aepyornis maximus, exist on multiple spellings. It means " bird of Ampatres ". The Ampatres are today Androy region. This coincides with de Flacourts report suggesting that the alleged relic stocks of elephant bird would inhabit the Ampatres.