An Eagle That May Have Hunted Homo Sapiens

[MarkGelbart]

I came across this just now. There was an extinct eagle from New Zealand that grew up to 40 pounds and mostly preyed on the big extinct moa birds. It became extinct 500 years ago along with its prey. It evolved rapidly during the Pleistocene from a 4 pound bird to the 40 pound bird. Scientists believe it may have hunted humans--their recent findings correlates with Maori folk tales of big birds swooping down and killing children.

www.physorg.com/news171900306.html

[MarkGelbart]

Ok, the word for the genus, H O M O, is automatically blocked because it may offend gay people.

LOL!

<edit: another one to un-filter>

Edited December 4, 2009 by Auspex

[ashcraft]

Maybe, but if they were particularly good at taking people, they wouldn't have gone extinct, as there were plenty of people left after the moa went extinct.

I don't think a forty pound animal would make a living off of eating me or my relatives, at roughly 8 times its size, it would risk serious injury if it didn't dispatch me quickly and I would become rather irritated if it tried.

That's not to say they wouldn't have done it opportunistically, but unlikely a substantial part of its diet. Smells like grant money talking.

Brent Ashcraft

[Cameron DVPS]

"I don't think a forty pound animal would make a living off of eating me or my relatives"

Brent, One day you need to meet my cat. Your faith in Humanities ability to beat a 40lb animal may waver and your entire world view may wither away to zero. Yes, before you ask, he is a mere house kitty. All I can offer in advice should you meet him is, do NOT fall asleep...for the love of whatever God(s) you may or may not believe in.

[Nicholas]

In my opinion it was a media over exaggeration, science articles which appear in the general media tend to do this. They sensationalize a point without all the fact.

May is the key word here, I think it is plausible to think a hungry bear may eat a small child. This bird if it ate humans at all only went for small human prey... especially defenseless ones.

[MarkGelbart]

A 40 pound bird would have a size advantage over toddlers and babies.

No one ever said man was the main course--just an occasional side dish.

Talking about cats, in 2004 a bobcat attacked and killed a 120 pound pit bull terrier in Aiken, South Carolina. When the owner heard the attack, she went outside with a broom to defend her dog, but the cat chased her back inside. For awhile local authorities feared a cougar on the loose, but the woman identified it as a bobcat when shown pictures of various wild cats.

[fig rocks]

Falcons can dive incredibly fast, can you imagine 40lbs with a pair of razor sharp claws coming at you at 100MPH? I think one could do a lot of damage!

[Bear]

I recall that a batch of human childrens skulls were found with symmetrically placed holes. For quite some time the blame was put on big cats, but later on the holes were matched to large predatory birds. It seems that they would swoop down - perhaps while the infant was being carried on the mothers back - and poke holes in the soft baby's skull with their dirty talons. The bird would then follow the hominids. After a few days the wounds would prove fatal and the child would be left dead for the birds to consume at their leisure. Nasty birdies indeed.

[Ron E.]

I recall that a batch of human childrens skulls were found with symmetrically placed holes. For quite some time the blame was put on big cats, but later on the holes were matched to large predatory birds. It seems that they would swoop down - perhaps while the infant was being carried on the mothers back - and poke holes in the soft baby's skull with their dirty talons. The bird would then follow the hominids. After a few days the wounds would prove fatal and the child would be left dead for the birds to consume at their leisure. Nasty birdies indeed.

I agree. Is there a source online somewhere?

[Bear]

Sorry Ron, but my memory fails me (again) on where I saw this one. I just made a note....it may have been one of those 'early hominid' shows on The Discover Channel though. I watch a lot of those shows, it keeps me out of trouble.

[Auspex]

Per Wikipedia:

"In early 2006 it was announced that the Taung Child was likely killed by an eagle or similar large predatory bird. This conclusion was reached by noting similarities in the damage to the skull and eye sockets of the Taung Child with damage to the skulls of modern primates known to have been killed by eagles."

The BBC did a half-hour show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/fascinatingdeaths.shtml (see "program 2").

[Bear]

*looks up at the sky fearfully*

Thanks, Auspex. I knew I saw it somewhere.......

[Boesse]

Actually, given the predatory behavior of extant raptors recently reported by my friend Denver (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007999) damage to the Taung child's cranium would probably have been done by the beak; raptors typically grip the back of the prey animal with their talons, pin the animal with their weight to the ground, and commence biting the head, neck, and shoulders of the prey in order to kill it (initial strikes with the feet offer an additional stun for the prey). They often do not wait for the prey to die before they begin eating.

Bobby

[Bear]

I saw a kite take out a songbird a couple months ago. He chased the songbird and when he was in position he popped out his tail and wings into that classic kite - shaped parachute - functional stance momentarily, then folded everything up and dropped on the prey like a brick. When he was just about to hit his prey, he struck out with both talons, hitting the songbird on the back. It was all very fast and clean. The songbird let out a loud chirp of pain and dropped into a bush where he stayed chirping sadly as the kite perched nearby on a branch. I did not look at the kite after that and kept on walking so he could have his meal.

[Auspex]

...raptors typically grip the back of the prey animal with their talons, pin the animal with their weight to the ground, and commence biting the head, neck, and shoulders of the prey in order to kill it (initial strikes with the feet offer an additional stun for the prey). They often do not wait for the prey to die before they begin eating.

Bobby

The technique varies by species and by prey. Accipiters kill by fishing around inside the body of their victim with their hallux, sometimes nipping to subdue, but mostly keeping their eyes out of the fray. Falcons, on the other hand, are adapted (with a notch in their beak) to dispatch prey with a severing bite to the cervical verts (if the prey was not killed outright by the "fist" strike at the end of a long stoop). Buteos and eagles keep their eyes out of it by "footing" (impaling and crushing). Kites are aerialists, specializing in small (non-dangerous) flying prey; snatch/foot/bite.

All start eating (or processing, if it is going to the nest to feed their young) as soon as it is safe for them to do so; whether the prey is live or dead matters little.

[Terry Dactyll]

very interesting.... what a daunting thought that would of been, should I cross the valley or will the eagles get me.... wow....