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London Zoological Society
The bones of the elephant bird were found at the Christmas River in Madagascar
Prehistoric humans are suspected of erasing the largest birds that have ever existed after fossilized bones were discovered with revealing marks.
According to scientists, it is obvious that Madagascar's elephant birds have been hunted and slaughtered for food.
The remains have been dated about 10,000 years ago.
Until now, it was thought that the first settlers arrived on the island about 2,500 to 4,000 years ago.
"This delays 6,000 years the date of the arrival of humans," says Dr. James Hansford, scientist at the Zoological Society London, UK.
In addition to asking questions about human history, the discovery suggests that a "radically different extinction theory" is needed to understand the loss of the unique wildlife of the island.
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Zoological Society London
Cutting marks on bones bear the marks of human hunting and butchery
Rather than wiping animals in a short time, humans seem to have lived alongside birds for thousands of years before disappearing about 1,000 years ago.
"Humans seem to have coexisted with elephant birds and other species that have been extinct for more than 9,000 years, apparently with a limited negative impact on biodiversity for most of this period, providing new opportunities for conservation, "says Dr. Hansford.
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Getty Images
The giant egg equates in volume to 150 chicken eggs
Elephants were once a common sight in Madagascar.
They weighed at least half a ton, were about 3 meters tall, and laid giant eggs, larger than those of dinosaurs.
Elephant birds, Aepyornis and Mullerornis, has lived among other remarkable species on the island, including giant lemurs, which have also disappeared.
There are a number of theories about why and when that happened, and how many human beings were involved.
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SPL
The birds had massive legs, clawed claws and a long, powerful neck
The research also reverses our ideas about the first human arrivals on the tropical island.
"We do not know the origin of these people and we will not know until we find other archaeological evidence," says Professor Patricia Wright of Stony Brook University, co-researcher study.
"The question remains – who were these people, and when and why did they disappear?"
The research is published in the journal Science Advances.
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