Elephant birds were enormous, flightless creatures that weighed over 1,000 pounds.
The ancient elephant birds walked the earth over 10,000 years ago. The 10-foot birds may have had small wings that were useless for flight, but they also weighed more than 1,000 pounds. Given the massive size of the creature, the eggs of elephant birds were believed to be the largest laid by any animal.
Scientists say that elephant birds were killed off after being hunted for food. Habitat loss due to deforestation also contributed to their decline.
