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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Hunting, theft of eggs, transfer of hyperdiseases from livestock and finally massive deforestation as a result of agricultural fires, which continues to this day, have turned Madagascar into a burning paradise, endangering the remaining biodiversity. 10/10

Illegal slash-and-burn practice in the region west of Manantenina, source: Diorit on Wikipedia

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

It is possible that humans only recently colonised Madagascar, around 1,500 years ago, but may have visited or accidentally crashed on the island earlier. Either way, there were probably many causes for the extinction of Aepyornis, similar to other megafauna of Madagascar. 9/10

David Attenborough and skeleton of Aepyornis,
Attenborough and the Giant Egg, BBC Earth

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

The archaeological sites suggest that humans arrived no earlier than 1,500 years ago. However, there are Aepyornis bones with cut marks dating back to 10,000 years ago. 8/10

$Tibiotartus of elephant birds, with man-made fractures, Source: V. R. Pérez, University of Massachusetts Amherst$

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Elephant birds became extinct about 1000 years ago. The reason for this is, of course, was man. But it's not clear if it was just hunting, we're not sure of when humans arrived and colonised Madagascar. 7/10

Eggshells of fragmented elephant bird eggs, common find in southern Madagascar, source: Gifford Miller

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Isotope analasis suggest that the A. maximus were a browser, combing all this knowledge we can say that these giant birds were nocturnal, heavily reliant on smell, giant herbivore, living in dense forest, type of habitat that began to disappear with the arrival of humans. 6/10

A mosaic of mature tropical dry forest and forest restoration at Berenty in southern Madagascar. Photo credit: Ariadna Mondragon Botero.

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Similar to the kiwi, Aepyornis maximus had reduced optic lobes, suggesting a nocturnal lifestyle. A. maximus had relatively large olfactory bulbs, larger than its relative, A. hildebranti, resulting in a greater sense of smell. 5/10

Rakiura brown kiwi, Source: ndpederson on iNaturalist

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

In 2014, successfully sequenced DNA answered the question of the origin of these giant birds and their place in taxonomy - their closest living relative is a kiwi. The two diverged about 54 million years ago and both, like most ratites, became flightless independently. 4/10

A Southern Brown kiwi photographed in the wild. (New Zealand Department of Conservation)

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Aepyornis had the largest egg of any known bird, dinosaur or amniote in general, with a volume of 5.6-13 litres. There is an almost complete skeleton of Aepyornis from an intact egg, which is much more robust than hatchlings of other ratites such as emus or ostriches. 3/10

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Aepyornis maximus was sexually dimorphic, with females being much larger than males. Until recently they were thought to be a separate genus, the Vorombe titan. However, recent studies of their DNA show that they're genetically identical and belong to the same species. 2/10

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Elephant Bird (Aepyornis maximus) - possibly the largest bird in history, with some estimates reaching 1,000kg. The genus was endemic to Madagascar, with two species, the smaller A. hildebrandti and maximus (which, according to the latest research includes Vorombe Titan). 1/10

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) - the largest species of moa, weighing over 200 kg and capable of reaching 3.6 metres above the ground. As their name suggests, they were native to the South Island of New Zealand, primarily inhabiting lowland areas. 1/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Dinornis robustus were the second largest birds ever found, surpassed in weight and size only by their distant cousin, the elephant bird. They became extinct +-600 years ago, due to the arrival of humans, like other moas. 2/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

A major factor in the extinction of moas, especially the giant ones, was egg theft by humans. These birds could lay 1-2 eggs at a time, investing heavily in a small number of hatchlings. 3/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

This breeding strategy resulted in a population consisting mainly of long-lived, slow-breeding adults. Interestingly, despite their enormous size, moas eggs were very thin and fragile, only 1.4mm thick. 4/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

This may have led to another interesting adaptation, a major sexual dimorphism; males were much smaller than females, so much so that they were once thought to be different species. 5/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Similar to some modern ratites, it's thought that males took care of eggs and young alone, the smaller size made it easier not to damage eggs, although they probably didn't sit on them but wrapped their necks around them. 6/11

Ostrich taking care of its eggs, but not sitting on them, behaviour which probably occured in Moas. DStamatelatos

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

They nested in holes in the ground or even in hollow tree trunks, probably reused for many years, suggesting that they lived in isolation rather than in a colony. 7/11

Nest of a kiwi in a small burrow, backyardkiwi.org.nz

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

It is likely that females competed for males with the largest territories, perhaps physically or just by vocalisation. After hatching from the egg, baby moa were already able to walk and feed, probably not only on ferns and grasses but also on smaller animals. 8/11

Hatchlings of Southern Ostrich, by eugenevs on iNaturalist

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Moas could reach sexual maturity in a few years, but probably social behaviour would prevent them from breeding until much later; much like the cassowary, which doesn't breed until it has its own territory. 9/11

Cassowary with hatchlings, www.rainforestrescue.org.au

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Moas were once thought to be closely related to another New Zealand bird - the kiwi - but DNA sequencing has shown that their closest relative is actually the tinamou, a small flying ratite/paleognath from South America. 10/11

Elegant crested tinamou, DickDaniels, theworldbirds.org

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

The two diverged about 60 million years ago, making the moa another example of a paleognath that lost its ability to fly independently after reaching a region without many other large herbivores and predators. 11/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

They nested in holes in the ground or even in hollow tree trunks, probably reused for many years, suggesting that they lived in isolation rather than in a colony. 7/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

This may have led to another interesting adaptation, a major sexual dimorphism; males were much smaller than females, so much so that they were once thought to be different species. 5/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

A major factor in the extinction of moas, especially the giant ones, was egg theft by humans. These birds could lay 1-2 eggs at a time, investing heavily in a small number of hatchlings. 3/11

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

I forgot to post it, but here's a size comparison of pretty much every animal I made in 2024 (not including Pokezoa!)

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Also version with females without blue legs, which one do u prefer?

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Kiwi (Apteryx) - a genus of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. They're the smallest of the ratites, a group that includes ostriches, emus, cassowaries, the extinct moas and elephant birds - kiwi's closest relatives, with both lineages diverging 54 million years ago. 1/6

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

There are five species of kiwi found in habitats ranging from subalpine scrub to podocarp forests throughout New Zealand. While none overlap today, they were widespread before the introduction of mammals such as stoats, the kiwi's main predator, and several species coexisted. 2/6

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Despite differences in size, colour and habitat, all kiwi species share traits such as sexual dimorphism; females are larger than males, reliance on hearing and smell rather than sight, an omnivorous diet, and a nocturnal lifestyle; possibly a result of mammalian predators. 3/6

Stoat, a main predator of Kiwis, photo by David Hallett

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Kiwis were thought to be closely related to the extinct moa due to shared traits. However, DNA studies show they're closer to Madagascar's elephant birds, rather than to the moa, with which they shared New Zealand. 4/6

Ostrich (left) and Aepyornis/Elephant bird (right) skeletons
hoopermuseum.earthsci.carleton.ca

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

The kiwi's massive eggs were once thought to be a shared trait with its relatives, the elephant birds; which laid the largest eggs ever recorded. However, it's now thought to be an adaptation for precocity, allowing the chicks to hatch mobile with yolk to sustain them. 5/6

Skeleton of Kiwi/Apteryx mantelii with an egg inside, collections.tepapa.govt.nz

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GabiPaleo @gabipaleo.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Fossils of the extinct genus of kiwi - Proapteryx, suggest that their ancestors were capable of flight and lost this ability after reaching New Zealand. This also suggests that kiwis arrived in New Zealand independently and much later than the Moas, which were already there. 6/6

Right femur of Proapteryx micromeros, Worthy TH et al.

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