Aepyornis

Aepyornis
Temporal range: Quaternary
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Aepyornis maximus skeleton and egg
Extinct (1000 AD)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Order: †Aepyornithiformes
Genus: †Aepyornis
I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851[1]
Type species
Aepyornis maximus
Species
Map of Madagascar showing where A. hildebrandti (b) and A. maximus (c) specimens have been found
Synonyms
  • Vorombe? Hansford & Turvey, 2018

Aepyornis is an extinct genus of elephant bird formerly endemic to Madagascar. The genus had two species, the smaller A. hildebrandti and the larger A. maximus, which is possibly the largest bird ever to have lived.[2] Its closest living relative is the New Zealand kiwi.[3] They became extinct sometime around 1000 AD, probably as a result of human activity.

  1. ^ a b c Brands, S. 2008
  2. ^ Grealy, Alicia; Miller, Gifford H.; Phillips, Matthew J.; Clarke, Simon J.; Fogel, Marilyn; Patalwala, Diana; Rigby, Paul; Hubbard, Alysia; Demarchi, Beatrice; Collins, Matthew; Mackie, Meaghan; Sakalauskaite, Jorune; Stiller, Josefin; Clarke, Julia A.; Legendre, Lucas J. (28 February 2023). "Molecular exploration of fossil eggshell uncovers hidden lineage of giant extinct bird". Nature Communications. 14 (1): 914. Bibcode:2023NatCo..14..914G. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36405-3. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 9974994. PMID 36854679.
  3. ^ "Ancient DNA ends Aussie claim to kiwi origins".