Legends from New Zealand held that there was a large predator bird, known as
pouakai, that was big enough to carry human beings off to its nest or den. Some people associated stories of Pouakai with the
giant flightless Moa,
extinct in 1773. Others thought it might be another extinct giant bird on the
South Island,
Haast's Eagle (
Harpagornis moorei). The eagle, locally known as Te Hokioi, has been extinct for 500 years,
overlapping with the early settlers by some 200 years. There was some speculation that the giant eagle was a scavenger
due to partially protected nasal openings, which are benefit to protect nasal cavities when digging into carcasses, analogous to features found on
accipitrid vultures. Recent studies have provide
there is proof that the Haast's Eagle was a fearsome predator, with
talons like tigers and the ability to dive on prey at 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph).
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posted by filthy light thief
on Sep 16, 2009 -
22 comments
From the greats of the silent era to the modern masterpieces of the 21st century, the medium of film has never truly achieved artistic perfection.
Until today.
posted by Lord_Pall
on May 12, 2009 -
90 comments
Giant Crab, Enemy Crab After a Sony exec gave gave a really bad demo at E3 for an upcoming PS3 game, mean gamers re-edited the embarrassing footage to segue into a cool dancefloor remix.
posted by w0mbat
on Feb 28, 2007 -
39 comments
'A colossal squid has been caught in Antarctic waters, the first example of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni retrieved virtually intact from the surface of the ocean. ' Related (old news from January) :-
giant squid attacks boat.
More squid sites :-
Search for Giant Squid,
a Smithsonian exhibit about a 1999 expedition. 'Whether living or extinct, on land or at sea, in literature or in life, large animals have long fascinated people. The largest animals have been known and hunted since prehistory: whales, walruses, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, and large fishes... However, one large animal has gone almost unnoticed or certainly unobserved in its habitat. That animal is the giant squid. Although these animals have been found in the nets of commercial fishermen, in the stomachs of sperm whales, and washed ashore on different continents, no scientific information has been gathered by direct observations of live giant squid ... '
The UnMuseum's article on the giant squid.
posted by plep
on Apr 3, 2003 -
23 comments
MMmmm, doughnut. (NYT link, reg. req'd) Lots of great philosophical answers to the old universe question, like our galaxy is in some giant's fingernail, and others. How about this one? Our universe is the shape of a doughnut!
(more inside)
posted by msacheson
on Mar 10, 2003 -
14 comments
