THE BIGGEST BIRD?

When most people think of dinosaurs, they imagine giant reptiles like T-Rex or Triceratops. But what surprised me during my research is that dinosaurs never actually went extinct, at least not completely. Scientists say that modern birds are the direct descendants of a group of dinosaurs called Theropods, which were two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs. 

Fossils of species like Archaeopteryx clearly show both dinosaur and bird features like feathers, claws, and long bony tails. That means when we look at birds today,  we’re actually looking at the last living dinosaurs! 

Did you know that when dinosaurs went extinct, except for small mammals, only  birds survived. The answer might be a combination of things like their small size,  their diverse diet and ability to fly. 

Weren't there any giant birds? What happened to them? The biggest bird that ever  lived was Vorombe titan, a species of elephant bird from Madagascar. They stood  up to 3 meters tall and weighed around 860 kilograms. That’s heavier than a  polar bear! Also, did you know that the Vorombe titan only hatched 2 or 3 eggs?  That’s not that much. The reason why the Vorombe titan died is because of  human activity, primarily through a combination of hunting, habitat loss from  deforestation for agriculture, and the poaching of their massive eggs. They  couldn’t fly, but were powerful runners, just like their dinosaur ancestors. 

When it comes to the biggest living bird today, it is the ostrich, which is the closest  relative of the Vorombe titans. They can grow up to 2.8 meters tall and weigh as  much as 145 kilograms. Learning all this really changed how I look at the world.  Because every time I see a bird, I feel like I’m watching a tiny piece of dinosaur  history still alive today. 

Mother nature gave us lots of extraordinary animals. The world is so amazing,  isn't it?