Giant Egg of the Extinct 'Elephant Bird'

About the Item

An exceptionally well preserved, unhatched egg of the Giant elephant bird, Aepyornis maximus. The now-extinct Aepyornis maximus, or elephant bird, was a quintessentially Malagasy bird, illustrative of the unique fauna and flora which developed on the island of Madagascar after the island split from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago. The bird’s Malagasy name was vorompatra (or vouropatra), meaning "marsh bird" or “bird of the Ampatres”. A truly enormous creature, it measured over 3 meters in height and could weigh up to 540 kilograms. A ratite, Aepyornis maximus was a flightless and wingless herbivore. Its large size and inability to fly might be the result of evolving on an isolated island with few predators. Instead of wings, elephant birds had extremely strong legs and could run at very high speeds. However, despite their appearance and habits, their closest living relative is not the ostrich but the kiwi bird. Aepyornis first appeared during the Pleistocene and was widespread from the northern to southern tip of the island of Madagascar. The precise date of its extinction is unknown, with some first-hand sightings of the bird dating to the seventeenth century. One of the first supposed references to Aepyornis can be found in the Chinese geographical treatise Lingwai Daida, which was written by Zhou Qufei in the Twelfth Century. In the treatise, the author tells of a large island off Africa with birds so large that their quills could be used as water reservoirs. In 1298, Marco Polo recounted seeing near Madagascar a bird of prey so big that it could carry an elephant in its talons. This bird was known as the roc, or rukh. A similar story was later told by the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, who claims to have seen the roc flying over the China Sea in 1340. It is even said that the Emperor of the Mongol Kublai Khan (1215-1294) sent messengers to Madagascar after having heard of the roc. The messengers brought back the Great Khan a gigantic bird feather, now believed to have been a raffia palm. In the fifteenth century, Italian cartographer Fra Mauro mentioned the roc on his map of the world, where it is described as coming from the island of Diab (most likely Madagascar). It is so big that it can “[carry] away an elephant or any other great animal" and has eggs “as big as a seven-gallon cask.” Of course, Aepyornis maximus was flightless and no elephants lived in Madagascar, but it is undoubtable that its extraordinarily large eggs, which were seen by foreign sailors and traders in Madagascar, inspired numerous tales about the legendary roc. The name “elephant bird” might even derive from these stories. Height: 28.5 cm (11.2 inches) Provenance: - Collected by André Goua (1901-1997) whilst working for the French Department of Mining Operations and Research in Antananarivo, Madagascar, between 1955 and 1965. - Thence by descent.

Dimensions:

Height: 11.23 in (28.5 cm)Diameter: 7.76 in (19.7 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Eggshell

Place of Origin:

Madagascar

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

1955-1965

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.