Lot 761
Largest Egg Known. The extinct flightless bird Aepyornis maximus produced the largest egg of any animal that ever lived including dinosaurs. This egg is 13 inches high and 9½" high. This was the equivalent volume of 10-12 Osterich eggs or 160 chicken eggs. Aepyornis is commonly known as the elephant bird, a name that originated from Marco Polo's account of the giant bird in 1298. He described the ten foot tall Aepyornis that weighed over half a ton as having talons large enough to seize an elephant. Aepyornis was the largerst bird that ever lived and only became extinct in the middle of the 17th century. Aepyornis only lived on the island of Madagascar and the pieces of original shell from this bird have been reconstructed to form this huge impressive egg. The fossil shell is 10,000-20,000 years old and was found in the southern sands of Madagascar. Great care and time was spent in matching the sizes, curvature, and color of the egg fragments to put the egg back to its normal shape and size. This egg is a cream to light tan color with more than 65% of the egg fragments from the same egg and most of the remaining shell from one other egg. The egg is quite solid and stable. There are only about a dozen unbroken Aepyornis eggs known, most in museums with one selling at auction for over $35,000. This huge egg comes perched on a hand carved wooden stand for a very dramatic display. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000
|
| |
| Unsold |
