When did the Indian and Chinese ostriches became extinct? (1 Viewer)

[Melanie]

As far as I know there are only Pleistocene remains of Struthio indicus and Struthio anderssoni. But could it be that both species survived into the Holocene?

 

[Fred Ruhe]

I have no Holocene records for these species or any other Struthio except, of course, Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758.

Fred

 

[Melanie]

The ostrich is known from Chinese potteries and in the Chinese mythology. Even if the traces of ostriches are lost in the Pleistocene, human hunters are known to exploit everything and the rest is destroyed by the erosion.

https://www.chinaexpat.com/2008/10/...enix-actually-an-ostrich.html/comment-page-1/

https://japanesemythology.wordpress...and-earth-imagery-nuwa-repairing-the-heavens/

 

[jurek]

Hi Melanie,

Your second source mentions that dates of Ostrich eggs from China is 30,000-20,000 years ago, but in 7-8 century live ostriches and eggs were traded from Persia and Africa.

 

[Fred Ruhe]

Struthio indicus Bidwell, 1910. was synonymized by Brodkorb, 1963. with Struthio asiaticus Milne-Edwards, 1871. and came from the Pliocene of India. It might be a descendent of Struthio karatheodorus Forsyth Major, 1888. from Greece, Samos, Macedonia becouse this species is very close to forms os Struthio asiaticus that were found in NW India and adjecent Pakistan.

From China we know Struthio wimani Lowe, 1931. from Early Pliocene, Struthio wimani Lowe, 1931. also from the Early Pliocene and Struthio anderssoni Lowe, 1931. that came from the Late Pleistocene of China.

the Pliocene started 5.2 million years ago, the Pleistocen 2 million years ago and the Holocene 10,000 years ago.

So the remarks of Jurek place the Chinese Ostrich eggs in the Late Pleistocene and the trade Ostriches from the 7th and 8th century are most probably Struthio camelus ssp. Those from Persia are most probably Struthio camelus syriacus Rothschild, 1919.

Hope it helps,

Fred