Aepyornis maximus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851:104
Giant elephant bird
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Aepornis maximus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1851:104; Aepyornis medius Milne-Edwards and Grandidier, 1869:97
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: Holocene
It is generally believed that Aepyornis maximus was the last surviving of the family Aepyornithidae (genera Aepyornis, Mullerornis and the newly described Vorombe). Étienne de Flacourt, the first French Governor of Madagascar, may have seen the bird in 1658, although it is equally plausible to suggest that he was relying upon another source for his account (Fuller, 1988).
Distribution
Madagascar
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
WAM 93.9.1. (the "Cervantes egg")
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1851). Note sur des ossements et des oeufs trouvés à Madagascar, dans des alluvions modernes, et provenant d'un oiseau gigantesque. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences (Paris) 32(4):101-107.
Other references:
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