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Eggs from Aepyornis maximus and Gallus domesticus
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Eggs from Aepyornis maximus and Gallus domesticus
Scale comparison using eggs from a chicken (Gallus domesticus), and the largest known extinct bird, the elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus)
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Media ID 8603087
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10710381
Aepyornis Chicken Flightless Fowl Galliformes Gallus Gallus Domesticus Gallus Gallus Domesticus Phasianidae Ratite Sauropsid Sauropsida
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this image, the size difference between the eggs of two distinct species of birds, the Gallus domesticus, commonly known as the chicken, and the Aepyornis maximus, or the elephant bird, is vividly illustrated. The chicken egg, laid by a modern-day domestic fowl, is brown and relatively small, with an average size of around 5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. In stark contrast, the elephant bird egg, sourced from the extinct Aepyornis maximus, is a colossal brown oval, measuring an impressive 30 cm long and 20 cm wide. The Aepyornis maximus, also known as the elephant bird or the ostrich-like bird of Madagascar, was a ratite, a group of flightless birds that includes the ostrich, emu, and rhea. This enormous bird stood at an estimated height of 3 m (10 ft) and weighed up to 450 kg (992 lb). Its extinction is believed to have occurred around 1000 years ago, likely due to habitat loss and human hunting. The chicken, on the other hand, is a member of the Phasianidae family, which includes quails, pheasants, and grouses. Gallus gallus domesticus, the domestic chicken, is a subspecies of the red junglefowl, which is native to Southeast Asia. Chickens have been domesticated for thousands of years for their eggs, meat, and feathers. The remarkable size disparity between these two eggs provides a compelling visual representation of the vast differences in size and evolutionary history between modern-day chickens and their extinct, giant counterpart, the elephant bird.
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