With this article I'm kicking off a brand-new series titled "Where We've Been". We will explore events that have shaped how we live today. We'll check out how we used to dress, how we used to feel about controversial subjects that are now talked about openly. Anything in our collective pasts is game and I WILL take suggestions! So here we go!
Haast's huge eagles,
Harpagornis moorei
- Wingspan: 3 metres
- Found in New Zealand until about 500 years ago
- Related to modern-day eagles
New Zealand never had many native land mammals – no tigers, wolves, or other predatory mammals – just a few diminutive bats. Before humans arrived, its forests bustled with birds, and the enormous Haast's Eagle once ruled them all.
Its wingspan of 3 m wasn't a big stretch, but at 18 kg (40 lbs), Haast's Eagle was a good deal heavier than any eagle alive today, making it the largest that ever lived.
(Image: John Megahan/PLOS)
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