DNA from eggshells shines light on the largest birds that ever lived

There remains, Dr Grealy explained, considerable debate over exactly how many species of elephant birds there really were.

She said: “At one time, 16 species were named, based on differences found between skeletal fossils.

“In the 1960s, this dropped to seven species — and the most recent revision classified elephant birds into four species.”

The reason for this confusion, she explained, is because Madagascar’s hot and humid climate is far from ideal for preserving biological material.

She added: “When bones are incomplete or fragmented, it can be hard to tell apart different species — and sometimes bone doesn’t preserve at all, like in the far north of Madagascar, where there have been reports of eggshells, but no bones.”

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Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1742539/elephant-birds-madagascar-dna-eggshells-largest-birds-ever-lived