Elephant Bird: The Largest Bird To Ever Live

Before they died out roughly 1,000 years ago, elephant birds could grow up to 10 feet tall and laid the largest eggs ever documented.

Before it went extinct 1,000 years ago, the elephant bird of Madagascar was certainly a sight to behold. In fact, one species of this flightless bird is widely believed to be the largest bird that ever lived.

Though long the stuff of legends — these bird may have inspired stories of the mythical roc (or rukh) creature — elephant birds were very real. That said, they’ve long been something of a mystery for scientists. It’s only in recent years that researchers have suggested that elephant birds of the Aepyornithidae family include four distinct species: Mulleornis modestus , Aepyornis hildebrandti , Aepyornis maximus , and Vorombe titan .

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