Haast eagle - The giant moa killer. (1 Viewer)

BrownnishSkua · Oct 14, 2009

I know the haast eagle is the largest and most powerful eagle and yet it is extinct. Its able to suppossedly be able to regularly kill giant moas because there are no land predators in its area which are large enough to post a threat to it while it feeds on the ground.
Scientist have discovered marks of its talons on moas bones (e.g. pelvis), does anyone have a little more information about its power? Also there are some whom say its predation on moas are theoretical - I wonder what you guys might say. I hope to see some interesting insight here

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Wigwam · Oct 16, 2009

I read somewhere that humans were also on the Haast eagle's menu...its possible I guess

Isurus · Oct 16, 2009

If you're interested in Haast's eagle, you should enjoy these two articles:
http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/03/biggest-eagle-part-i.html
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/01/titan-hawks_super-raptors.php

Amarillo · Oct 16, 2009

Wigwam said:
I read somewhere that humans were also on the Haast eagle's menu...its possible I guess

seems a bit far fetched. It wasn't that much bigger than todays largest eagles.

Isurus · Oct 16, 2009

Amarillo said:
seems a bit far fetched. It wasn't that much bigger than todays largest eagles.

true but it did unquestionably predate large bipeds so when humans arrived the odd close encounter seems likely

Birdingcraft · Oct 16, 2009

Isurus said:
true but it did unquestionably predate large bipeds so when humans arrived the odd close encounter seems likely

Sure- I wouldn't be surprised if one took an occasional adult and children must have been taken at times. Smaller African Crowned Eagles are known to have preyed upon hominids and probably still do on rare occasions-a friend of mine who used to live in Zimbabwe knew someone who found the talon pierced skull of a boy at the nest of a Crowned Eagle.

BALAWE · Oct 17, 2009

Birdingcraft said:
Sure- I wouldn't be surprised if one took an occasional adult and children must have been taken at times. Smaller African Crowned Eagles are known to have preyed upon hominids and probably still do on rare occasions-a friend of mine who used to live in Zimbabwe knew someone who found the talon pierced skull of a boy at the nest of a Crowned Eagle.

It's no surprising If African Crowned Eagles to sometimes take on children like the other forest eagles (Harpy and Philippine Eagles) which has similar stories or unconfirmed reports that prey on monkeys probably because babies or children resembles the size and shape of a monkey which the forest eagle's favorite prey.

BALAWE · Oct 17, 2009

Amarillo said:
seems a bit far fetched. It wasn't that much bigger than todays largest eagles.

I agree w/u maybe small children but not a full grown human.. the large female Haast's eagle can weighs 14-15 kg, about 50% larger than the largest living eagles today.

BrownnishSkua · Oct 25, 2009

BALAWE said:
I agree w/u maybe small children but not a full grown human.. the large female Haast's eagle can weighs 14-15 kg, about 50% larger than the largest living eagles today.

Since golden eagles can occassionally take on 300 pound antelopes even if they are sick, its not going to be a surprise if a haast eagle can take on a human.
I wonder how the haast eagle will react should it live in the same area as huge mamalian carnivores.

BALAWE · Oct 26, 2009

TheCrow said:
Since golden eagles can occassionally take on 300 pound antelopes even if they are sick, its not going to be a surprise if a haast eagle can take on a human.
I wonder how the haast eagle will react should it live in the same area as huge mamalian carnivores.

A 300 lb deer or even 500 lb moa is far different from a fullgrown human with a very large brain that can make weapons and learned from it's hunting expiriences and eventually defends itself from such aireal predator.

I far as I know there are no proof or accounts that it actually preyed on humans, It was only a Māori legends and not proven yet.

BrownnishSkua · Nov 7, 2009

BALAWE said:
A 300 lb deer or even 500 lb moa is far different from a fullgrown human with a very large brain that can make weapons and learned from it's hunting expiriences and eventually defends itself from such aireal predator.

I undersatnd, however, a bare handed human is still no match for a haast eagle. A haast eagle would kill a bare-handed human rather than vice versa.

BALAWE said:
I far as I know there are no proof or accounts that it actually preyed on humans, It was only a Māori legends and not proven yet.

Its still capable despite those lagends. Raptors seem more wary of humans compared to corvids.

dantheman · Nov 7, 2009

BALAWE said:
A 300 lb deer or even 500 lb moa is far different from a fullgrown human with a very large brain that can make weapons and learned from it's hunting expiriences and eventually defends itself from such aireal predator.

I far as I know there are no proof or accounts that it actually preyed on humans, It was only a Māori legends and not proven yet.

But he still doesn't have eyes in the back of his head.....

A 500lb Moa would quite probably be more of an adversary than a 100lb - 150lb human. Assuming that the maori natives were a percentage smaller than today's western type man such as I guess those discussing this are...

captaincarot · Nov 7, 2009

dantheman said:
But he still doesn't have eyes in the back of his head.....

A 500lb Moa would quite probably be more of an adversary than a 100lb - 150lb human. Assuming that the maori natives were a percentage smaller than today's western type man such as I guess those discussing this are...

go look at the new zealand rugby team all the huge man eating ones are maori

BALAWE · Nov 7, 2009

BrownnishSkua said:
I undersatnd, however, a bare handed human is still no match for a haast eagle. A haast eagle would kill a bare-handed human rather than vice versa.

Its still capable despite those lagends. Raptors seem more wary of humans compared to corvids.

Capable maybe to unaware human the point is there are NO proof that it preyed on humans which means they were not capable enough to hunt on humans, brain power still the most effective weapon that is why we are the most successful specie on the planet and they as we all know now EXTINCT.

cavacjose · Nov 22, 2009

hello , I think that the strenght of talons of haas eagle is very powerful, this eagle is dangerous for the pionners maoris ; Informations of the pressure of talons of eagles: bald eagle:around of 400psi(183kg) ; harpy eagle: around 530psi(240kg). sorry for my english

Haast eagle - The giant moa killer. (1 Viewer)

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