The Elephant Bird and the Roc
Arabian tales spoke of the roc, a bird big enough to carry off an elephant. On Madagascar, a giant bird with eggs bigger than footballs really existed.
What was reported
Stories from medieval Arabia and Persia, including the voyages of Sinbad, told of the roc, a bird so huge it could carry an elephant in its claws. Marco Polo wrote that it lived on islands off Africa.
On Madagascar, people found enormous eggshells, and early European visitors heard of a giant bird. In the 19th century, scientists described the elephant bird, Aepyornis: a flightless bird up to 3 metres tall, which laid eggs with about 150 times the volume of a hen's egg.
Explanations offered
Elephant birds could not fly, so they couldn't carry off elephants, but they were among the largest birds ever. They died out roughly 1,000 years ago, and some researchers think travellers' stories of their huge eggs helped inspire the legend of the roc.
- When
- Survived until about 1,000 years ago
- Where
- Southern Madagascar
- Witnesses
- Travellers, sailors and scientists
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.