Vorombe

Name: Vorombe ‭(‬big bird‭)‬.
Phonetic: Vo--rom-be.
Named By: J.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Hansford‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Turvey‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.
Synonyms: Aepyornis ingens,‭ ‬Aepyornis titan.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Aepyornithiformes,‭ ‬Aepyornithidae.
Species: V.‭ ‬titan‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Frugivore‭?
Size: Larger individuals about‭ ‬3‭ ‬meters tall.
Known locations: Madagascar.
Time period: Extinction roughly estimated about‭ ‬1000AD.
Fossil representation: Remains of numerous individuals including eggs.




       Originally described as a species of Aepyornis,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬titan was declared distinct enough to be its own genus in‭ ‬2018.‭ ‬The new genus name Vorombe basically means‭ ‘‬big bird‭’‬,‭ ‬which is fitting because Vorombe may well be the largest of the currently known‭ ‘‬elephant birds‭’‬.‭ ‬The‭ ‬‘elephant birds‭’‬ which‭ ‬is the colloquial name for members of the Aepyornithidae,‭ ‬were very large and heavy flightless birds that once lived in Madagascar.‭ ‬These birds lived within the Madagascan forests probably looking for things like fruits to eat.‭ ‬An over development of sense of smell while having relatively poor eyesight‭ ‬is thought to suggest that elephant birds like Vorombe were more active at night while using the sense of smell to find food.
       The elephant birds like Vorombe are‭ ‬thought to have died out by about‭ ‬1000AD.‭ ‬Human predation,‭ ‬especially of elephant bird eggs is thought to have been the primary factor,‭ ‬though avian diseases inadvertently carried by livestock transported by humans to Madagascar may have also been a factor.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds‭ (‬Aves:‭ ‬Aepyornithidae‭) ‬and a new identity for the world's largest bird.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Royal Society Open Science.‭ ‬5‭ (‬9‭)‬:‭ ‬181295.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Hansford‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Turvey‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.
-‭ ‬Nocturnal giants:‭ ‬evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Royal Society B‭ ‬-‭ ‬Christopher R.‭ ‬Torres‭ & ‬Julia A.‭ ‬Clarker‭ ‬-‭ ‬2018.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites