The team names the world's largest bird – the Titan of Vorombe

After decades of contradictory evidence and numerous publications, scientists at the Zoological Institute of the London Zoological Society (ZSL) have finally put an end to the debate about the world's largest bird. Posted today (September 26th, 2018) in Royal Society Open Science–Titan of Vorombe (meaning "big bird" in Malagasy and Greek), took the title with weights up to 800 kg and three meters high, the research has also revealed an unexpected diversity in these Malagasy creatures.

Until now, it had been suggested that up to two different species of elephants had been identified under two different genera, but research conducted by ZSL scientists demonstrates rigorous and quantitative new evidence that show that this is not the case. Armed with a tape measure and a pair of compasses, Dr. Hansford analyzed hundreds of elephant bird bones from museums around the world to discover the largest bird in the world, while revealing that their taxonomy extends over three genera and at least four distinct species. ; thus, constituting the first taxonomic reassessment of the family for more than 80 years.

The elephant birds (belonging to the family Aepyornithidae) are an extinct group of colossal birds unable to fly that roamed Madagascar at the end of the Quaternary, with two genera (Aepyornis and Mullerornis) previously recognized by scientists. The first species to be described, Aepyornis maximus, has often been considered the largest bird in the world. In 1894, the British scientist C.W. Andrews described an even larger species, Aepyornis titan, this has generally been dismissed as an exceptionally large specimen of A. maximus. However, ZSL's research reveals that Andrew's "titan" bird was indeed a distinct species. The shape and size of his bones are so different from those of all other elephants that he has now been given the name of the new genus. Vorombe by ZSL.

The lead author of the ZSL Zoology Institute, Dr. James Hansford, said, "The elephants were the largest of Madagascar's megafauna and arguably one of the largest in island history. – more than lemurs. A huge impact on the ecosystem in which they live by controlling vegetation by eating plants, spreading biomass and dispersing seeds through defecation. Madagascar still suffers today from the effects of the extinction of these birds. "

Professor Samuel Turvey of the ZSL Zoological Institute said: "Without an accurate understanding of the diversity of species of the past, we can not understand evolution or ecology in unique island systems like Madagascar or it is knowledge of the history of biodiversity loss to determine how to conserve today's threatened species. "

Analyzing this data in a new combination of machine learning and Bayesian clustering, Dr. Hansford applied modern techniques to solve a 150-year-old taxonomic node that will form the modern understanding of this enigmatic megafauna bird. The revelation that the largest of these birds has been forgotten by history is only part of their remarkable history.

Explore more:
Ancient bird bones reduce human activity in Madagascar by 6000 years

More information:
Unexpected diversity within extinct elephants (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and new identity of the world's largest bird, Royal Society Open Science, rsos.royalsocietypublishing.or … /10.1098/rsos.181295