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@@bradley4706They were large quadrupeds while birds stand on two legs, the upper limit on birds as far as we've seen is a 150 lb condor like animal, Argentavis Magnificens.
@@concon9107 yes but the idea was the larger the thing the less it could fly. But they were much larger and could fly. Or at least people think they could fly.
The Calvaria tree of Mauritius almost went extinct forty years ago. In 1977 there were only 13 trees, each over 300 years old and dying. A project to rescue the species discovered that only by feeding the fruit to large birds such as turkeys and geese were the seeds able to be germinated, suggesting a dependency of the tree on the dodo.
Actually, I think they found that giant tortoises did an even better job of distributing the seeds. The birds that were used in the experiment had to be force fed.
The researchers could have skipped the birds and did it themselves. It's not a particular bird, or even any bird. It's just the digestive process through the system of any bird or mammal is needed to break down some of the outer casing, which normally wouldn't allow it to germinate properly unless it had spent a LONG time in the soil. In most cases you can carefully slice the casing or similar, or soak it in something for a while that will soften it. The bird method is just some extraneous nonsense added to promote the story.
Humans don't use gastroliths, so I'm curious if the wear caused by digestive gravel is relevant in this case. I believe there are other plants that require this as well
I grew up in Australia and have an immense love for emus. I almost acquired a pair in France but decided against it. Good choice because I got divorced and lost that property and would have had a terrible time rehoming them correctly (I did have rheas when living in South America). However, my new neighbour got two for his 15th birthday and still has the male, Sydney, who is now 30 years old. I went to a park the other day where there were emus and started drumming at them and they were replying. Then I turned around and saw a keeper staring at me as if I were mad. I said, “I’m Australian”. I find that response is usually widely accepted when caught doing anything eccentric.
@ggoannas I have never left Australia. Too much that I still have to experience here. However, I too like Emus but my favourite bird of that type is definitely the Cassowary. I've lived in Far Nth Queensland and have seen Cassowaries many times. They are smaller than Emus but are magnificent in their colour, and stockiness. And contrary to legend, are quite placid if not threatened. I've been lucky enough to see Emus in the wild, in zoos, and emus that choose to hang around remote outstations or roadhouses because there's reliable water and an easy feed from tourists and locals. Hann River Roadhouse, on the Peninsula Development Road on Cape York, has an Emu that has hung around for years. Emus also make regular appearances at Musgrave Roadhouse, on the Cape.
@@BradGryphonn I miss Australia very much. The smell of eucalyptus, the white trunks, the red earth, the flocks of parrots, the little streams full of sicle like gum leaves, the blue wrens glinting like jewels in the undergrowth and the calls of the bellbirds. I could go on and on….
Yeah, imagine being a little kid and going on a trip to the zoo and they tell you "this bird should be dead. And it was. The only reason it's here is because of humans, but the only reason it died is humans. Prevent the ratite's story from repeating itself."
I dont think it would be impossible, but the first batch would be full of surprises since we know little about them. Pretty much every behavior would be unknown to us and we would have to figure out what role they fill in the ecosystem.
The South American _hoatzin_ is my favorite living dinosaur. Their chicks still have *teeth and claws!* (the _only_ bird species I'm aware of that still has teeth.) I find them absolutely fascinating. It's like looking back in time! If a nest is threatened, the chicks will actually jump out of the nest (usually over water), swim like a diving bird, then use their claws to climb back up the tree into the nest. The adult birds lose their teeth and claws, but they still look reminiscent of some of the earliest feathered flying dinosaurs with their long, loose feathers everywhere ( _especially_ the tail feathers and crown feathers.)
Wow, that wikipedia page was interesting. Based off genetics they're the last surviving species of a line of birds that branched off 64 million years ago. That's a long time but still way more recent than I thought birds retained teeth at all.
@@DakotaRowehl only One milion years After the great kaboom? Man that means they are more like dinosaurs than the rest of the birds in the world, we gotta protect the precious
I know you didn’t specify claws but what I find even cooler about birds as a whole is a LOT of them still have claws on their wings, Cassowaries have especially prominent claws but even something like the chicken does have noticeable claws. Which is what will always be in the back of my mind whenever I see a whole chicken at the grocery store.
As a professor, I just love how you explained all of this. I can tell you're an amazing teacher. I think giant birds are cool, but I'm also afraid of them! I'd love to see a video on "The Dodo Bird: the Best Pet Bird?" I already know Cassowaries aren't!
Given that he's done videos on King Cobras and Black Mambas, there's no reason he couldn't do a video on whether Cassowaries are the best pet birds even though we all know they aren't. It's not like anybody thought that King Cobras or Black Mambas were the best pet snakes either. They were still great videos.
We could have the question answered in a few more years when Colossal brings it back, but it would probably not be a good pet due to its beak potentially destroying furniture, and owning one will likely be VERY illegal similar to owning a lemur or wild macaw.
So, fun story Growing up in the New Zealand countryside in the 90s my primary school had an annual "Agricultural Day" near the end of the year. About halfway through the year, all the kids would have to get an animal (or plant) to raise up and compete with on Ag Day. (Plants were considered a cop out, unless your parents were hippies haha) For my last Ag Day, being an edgy 11 year old I wanted to raise something different from the "mainstream" animals (think calves, lambs, chickens, dogs) and my parents sourced for me an emu egg and an incubator from a farm down the road. I hatched it out myself, and as she grew I would spend hours each day with her playing in her sandpit digging holes and messing around with a whole bunch of baby toys (mirrors, blocks, etc.). She was awesome! Very affectionate and SMART! She learned to fetch, leg weave and sit on command completely without me meaning to teach her. She loved to sit on my lap and talk to me hehe We won the champion ribbon in the "poultry" section that year 😂And I sometimes wonder now what the adults thought at the time ("fkn extra kid with her weird Australian chicken" probably, if it wasn't "who the fk gave that child an emu") The deal was that after Ag Day she would be returned to the emu farm, which was probably a better place for her to become an adult emu than some kid's backyard (the girl emus just had their loose feathers collected, no worries!) but damn I missed her- apparently she went on to be very bossy towards the other emus but loved her humans ❤
Very emusing. I was surprised when I passed a derelict farm on my way to my local North Island service town to see an emu in a small partitioned paddock by the road. If you looked at the native NZ Bush and scrub clad hills behind it & ignored the sound of traffic you could kid yourself it was a reasonably large Moa! I have ( just once) seen a Kiwi in my garden at dusk and heard one up close once at night but couldn't see it. We used to even hear them at night in Auckland as kids in Native Bush tracts (then on the outskirts of Auckland). I doubt if any remain now as it is way more built up. The farms all turned to subdivisions in the late 70s/early 80s.
That's really interesting! I had no idea they were so affectionate, smart, chatty or that they formed that close of a bond. I've mostly heard that they weren't really that friendly toward humans and it wasn't obvious, in any of the documentaries I've seen, that they were particularly close with each other, either. Very cool!
@@rickh3714 There are still some Kiwi in various reserves and patches of bush out by Pine Harbour, and of course Motu Tapu has got a thriving population, among other places "near" Mighty Auckland.
@@uncletiggermclaren7592 Good to hear. The area I was talking about occupies the tract of land between Whitford & what is now Dannemora ( which I don't think existed back then & Cockle Bay- now mostly fairly heavily populated suburbs). I once saw a pair of little blue penguins in Downtown Auckland near the Waiheke ferry terminal ( circa 2008 ) too. I think I heard Kiwi near Huia circa 1982-ish also.
I'm of the mind that if an animal was driven to extinction because of humans; not only is it right for us to bring them back, it is our duty as the dominant species and stewards of this planet to correct such an injustice.
Friendly reminder that the GREAT EMU WAR is the most glorious and simultaneously most hilarious event in history. Losses in this war include 2 emu on their side, and dignity on the human side.
The saying goes, “every time you watch a Clint’s Reptiles video, you learn something new.” Talking about all these extinct animals makes me want a video about recently extinct animals.
i really love the amount of stress clint puts on his advice for not dying to a cassowary. its both hilarious and terrifying and really thats all i expect out of a real life dinosaur
I'm a fan of bringing back some of the animals we made extinct back, as well as bringing back some megafauna. I feel that they'll have a similar effect in certain areas as wolves did in Yellowstone. Especially in the Tundra style areas such as up in Syberia, I feel that mammoths might make improvements to the natural area.
WE didn’t make them extinct. Things go extinct all of the time. It’s only the ridiculous claims made by people calling themselves ‘experts’ that make you think this.
@@frederickd.provoncha8671 You know that movie is fiction right? All those animals in that movie seem completely bloodthirsty. A real life T-Rex would not behave like that at all
As a bird paleontologist, I just want to say that Clint's videos are brilliant and I especially appreciate the emphasis on viewing biodiversity from a phylogenetic perspective. It's incredible how much information they can present in such a clear and engaging way. I've of course been enjoying the recent focus on birds and other dinosaurs, and look forward to seeing more! A couple of comments: the paleognath phylogeny used here is a somewhat unconventional one. The majority of recent analyses focusing on paleognath interrelationships tend to find a cassowary/emu + kiwi + elephantbird clade excluding the moa + tinamou lineage (and there's also some uncertainty about whether the moa + tinamou clade should switch places with the rheas). That being said, the tree in this video has been recovered by a couple of large-scale studies, so I wouldn't count it out just yet; there's just a lot of work left to do regarding paleognath phylogenetics! This wasn't mentioned in the video, but kiwi are another paleognath group that have retained four toes per foot. (Conversely, there are a few tinamous that have lost the innermost toe and become three-toed, namely members of the genera Eudromia and Tinamotis.) I generally don't think it's worth getting worked up about the pronunciation of scientific terms, but given that it came up in the outtakes: I and most other bird researchers I know say paleognath as "paleo-nayth".
I believe the clade is not a necessary taxonomic classification either. The Kiwi may be in the same clade as the other ratites in Oceania but they are extremely loosely related to the others… being that they are in their own family and order. I usually don’t bother with clade’s. Though it understand why someone who actually works in that field needs it.
I love watching these phylogenies as a classicist, because I know the Latin and Greek words. "Struthio" comes to us straight from the Latin for ostrich, which I always remember weirdly because the Latin for a giraffe is "struthiocamelus," "ostrichcamel." Fun description of a giraffe!
22:00 my parents used to live in northern qld and would go bush walking a lot. They told me about this time they encountered a wild cassowary while bush walking. My parents are both over 6ft tall but felt tiny compared to it. They told me they stayed as still as possible because of how terrified they were, and well ehat do you know they survived haha. Respect the bird and dont fall down
Clint, you're really pioneering the Educational Field on YT, you are by far the best at explaining the complex phylogeny and phenotypes, I have always loved bio, and I attribute that partly to teachers, but also to channels and TV like this, thank you so much for exploring and explaining the Reptile world.
Please make more videos about extinct birds. As a bird nerd, I find it really interesting how little I actually know about extinct bird species. I feel like they are often left out when people discuss extinct creatures.
@@ThunderStruck15is that the same as the Carolina Parakeet? That was the United States most beautiful bird some say. I’m definitely for bringing it back but without the vast cane breaks that covered most of the lowland areas adjacent to marshes in the SE they would unfortunately face the same problem that doomed them to begin with. I wish we could accept some balance when interacting with the world we live in, smh.🦜
@@antjaysocial I've literally never heard someone pronounce it e-moo, and I used to volunteer at a zoo that had an emu. E-mew is the only pronunciation I've ever heard.
Listening to Clint talk about other strands of life makes you appreciate that this guy is just stinking rad at all animals full stop. Thank you Clint. You are an absolute joy and a light.
My former neighbors in COLORADO raised Emus. My other neighbors were classified as a private zoo and had care of rare and endangered bird species. Our local public zoo had lions. I went to sleep each night to cawing Peacocks and Lion roars and huffing. I didn't realize that even people who live in places where these animals are native rarely see and hear them.
I absolutely love Clint's enthusiasm about these animals for the sheer remarkableness of them. It reminds me of how I felt as a kid being delighted about the existence of different animals.
I'm usually most interested in (scaled) reptiles, but this is my favorite video you've ever done. I've had a special fascination with ratites ever since some fieldwork in college landed me in NZ with a research partner who just happened to excavate subfossil animal remains as a hobby, and he let me tag along to dig up moa bones one weekend. I thought I'd managed to teach myself a thing or two about ratites since then, but you just taught me so much more. Thank you!
In some sense the oldest groups of ratites to become flightless appear to have done so in the immediate aftermath or thereabouts of the K-Pg extinction.
You should definitely do a whole video on Madagascar! The ecology there is so wild, and looking throughout history it seemingly always has been wild and weird. Why? It's resources? It's location? Is it beneath a vortex of pure magic? I wanna know!
all old islands have some level of weirdness. remember, the British isles have only been islands for a relatively short time. in the early bronze age, you could walk from italy to Scotland, no boat required.
I read that the island was part of the mainland,,, a million years ago or more,,,I don't remember. The animals, all fauna, we😊re isolated at that point. It would be odd if it wasn't really different on Madagascar.
@@marvalice3455 Way more than 10 million. Madagascar has not been connected to anything since 90 million years ago, and that thing it was connected to 90 million years ago was India. That's right. India and Madagascar used to be one large island. The last time they were connected to a continent is estimated to be over 160 million years ago during the breakup of Gondwana. That is when Madagascar separated from the African plate. But even earlier than that, it is possible there is already a sea that flooded that part of the continent, so that there a geographic barrier for animals to cross, if not a geological one. The ancestors of all the native birds, mammals, and reptiles that evolved on Madagascar are all suspected of having arrived after it was an island. So the ur-lemur, ur-chameleon, and ur-euplerid all probably rafted there or much less likely swam there. The ancestor of elephant birds probably flew there from somewhere, but it could have rafted too.
Please do a video exclusively about deextinction! It's such an interesting discussion that I feel like rarely gets the coverage it deserves. Most takes I see boil down to "Deextinction is cool af in concept, but should we do it?" without really examining the dilemma in any real depth, but it's such a fascinating one! How would we raise a revived population? What would the ecological effects be? How would reintroducing now-extinct species affect their ecosystems? There are so many interesting questions to examine here that get the spotlight far too rarely, which is a shame!
I mean you guys lost a war to them so it makes sense that you guys have to say it correctly, I will probably continue butchering the pronunciation since I dont have emus breathing down my neck.
@@ClintsReptiles The Terror Birds were shown in the tv series Primeval as feathered horrors very dangerous carnivore 7ft tall and extremely fast runners. Let's bring those back to liven things up as humans have it too easy without carnivores after us.
This was wonderful! So I was an exchange student in Darwin, NT, where I stayed with a family outside of the city (read “in the bush”). My Aussie Dad was found an injured emu on the road and brought it home. When I stayed with them, the emu, called Charlie, stayed in a large pen out back, with the chickens (aka chooks). Charlie was right on eye-level with me, and I found him quite unnerving. Fascinating, though. 🌙💜☮️
I really enjoy the enthusiasm in Clint's voice when discussing topics he's passionate about. It brings me back to being 8 years old and memorizing every dinosaur, car, and jet/airplane I came across. Seeing that in our son (2 yrs old now), all this brings me much joy. Thank you.
Bring back Dodo! You can bring the other birds and mammals too, but the best thing about Dodo is how easy it would be to keep them alive as pets and farm animals. For large animals like Moa and Mammoth we would have to create big Zoo enclosures or wild natural reserves which I also support, but Dodo is cheaper.
Wasn't the Dodo's taste actually awful? To the point you had to kill other things just to mix them with the Dodo and make it barely bearable? I think outside of it's ecological niche in that Island it doesn't have a purpose, and that island still has the conditions that drove the Dodo to extinction.
If we had genetic material for dodos, they would definitely be the first on the list. Unfortunately, dodos were not archived well. My dad's cousin's boyfriend rescued the head of a dodo out of a museum trash burn when he recognized what it was (both zoologists). The Mount had been invested with dermestid beetles, so they were burning it not even considering that there could be unique material there. That head and foot are 2 of the only pieces we have left of a dodo and they are not in good condition for DNA recovery (burn damage and mold damage from mount being poorly done originally). In recent articles I haven't even seen that specimen listed as one in existence, so it's possible that something further happened to it since then. If I remember correctly it is in Australia. Unless something shows up in a private collection somewhere, I'm afraid that dodos are gone for good. The only other chance we have is possibly a partially developed egg that got buried really deep on the island that hasn't been found yet somehow. Edit: okay I found it, Oxford has it now! www.google.com/search?q=dodo+specimens+remaining&client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=581526710&sxsrf=AM9HkKkvLZ89Y5nOMijSfepzCXKLuFRfNg%3A1699714828495&ei=DJdPZeHXHe_NkPIPkaiNkAI&oq=dodo+specimens+remaining&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhhkb2RvIHNwZWNpbWVucyByZW1haW5pbmcyBRAhGKABSMY6UKkLWLUxcAN4AJABAZgBjgGgAecYqgEFMjEuMTK4AQPIAQD4AQGoAg_CAggQABiiBBiwA8ICBxAjGOoCGCfCAgoQIxiKBRjqAhgnwgIEECMYJ8ICCxAuGLEDGIoFGJECwgIIEAAYigUYkQLCAggQLhiABBixA8ICBxAAGIoFGEPCAhAQLhiKBRixAxjHARjRAxhDwgILEAAYigUYsQMYkQLCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICCBAuGIoFGJECwgIKEAAYgAQYFBiHAsICBRAAGIAEwgIGEAAYFhgewgIIEAAYigUYhgPiAwQYASBBiAYBkAYE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#vhid=6lQtMm5qxl9uUM&vssid=l It's pretty crazy to think that he pulled that out of a fire and that somebody didn't recognize it and thought it was just some piece of junk.
I live in Brisbane Australia and one time stayed in Mission Beach. I saw a wild male Cassowary on the side of the road on 2 occasions. It was pretty exciting! 😁
Recently stumbled upon your videos. That was a happy day. I don't know how many are available, but I intend to watch all that I can find. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into these. Educational and entertaining.
I lived in Coober Pedy for a couple years, in Australian inland desert, and had a pond. One day i looked out the kitchen window and saw a pair of giant emus walk up the red dirt driveway, out of the vast desert, probably smelling water. . One of the most majestic and somewhat intimidating things ive ever seen. Im 5ft 6" and im pretty sure they were both taller than me.
Wanted to let people, who dont know, know. Brian Barczyk has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Im sending prayers and well wishes to him and his family. Regardless of peoples feelings about Brian, he is a pillar of this community and needs our support.
Moas and elephant birds. They can join the aurochs in the potential 'it can come back!' list, though there is apparently an effort to 'back breed' aurochs from modern cow breeds that have domesticated aurochs in their lineage.
In that case, you're really just creating more aurochs-like cows. Taurine cattle are believed to all descend from as few as 80 aurochs, which would be only one or two herds. So there's a lot of genetic diversity that's probably gone forever.
I showed my wife a couple of clint's videos and she says he reminds her of Steve Erwin with the amount of joy and excitement he has when talking about animals
i think reintroducing mammoths to the mammoth steppe would be extremely good for conservation. the area is already doing better with the recent reintroduction of large grazing herbivores, and mammoths would help to push back forests in the area, allowing for even more grazing herbivores, their weight on snow also helps keep the permafrost in the area from being insulated as much by the snow, which helps it to freeze more deeply each winter to allow for less melt in the summer months. they're also stinkin rad.
Honestly if we can bring them back we should given we were the reason they went extinct in the first place. However they should only be in North America because 1 the climate and bountiful open fields are more appropriate for them 2 they won’t be in direct competition with elephants making existence easier for both species.
I used to work at a zoo in Michigan with emu also think we had three of them I used to work in their cages cleaning up after them and playing with them their poop sure does stink diarrhea like poop
I'd never heard of or seen a picture of a Cassowary before until I found myself face to face with one (a fence between us) on a school trip to the zoo. Just calmly standing tall and staring at me. It's a surreal experience.
You are *way too delighted* about the Aussies losing a war against the emus. And as a Kiwi, I'm here for that! And I say bring back the moa - the bigger the better. One of the things that saddens me the most is that those fantastic birds went extinct. I'd love to see a live one.
Haast's eagle and the Moa have always been my favorite animals, ever since I was about 7 and read an interview of a lady who remembered being a kid on an expedition to New Zealand with her father and a few of his coworkers. He told her to not go out to play when he wasn't home but she did one day and saw in the mud a large footprint that was thought for a long time to possibly be a small group of Moa, last of their kind. There was never any signs or proof, so they were continued to be categorized as extinct and even if a few were alive then it would be doubtful they still were by that interview date.
I would challenge the claim ratites are the coolest living dinosaurs because I think corvids absolutely deserve that title. Also struthiomimus is one of my least favorite dinosaurs, and it feels wrong to declare it's modern imitator among the coolest living dinosaurs. It implies a downgrade I don't think happened.
I can definitively say that your videos have made me even more insufferably annoying to my friend group, as I have easily doubled my outbursts of random animal facts and invertebrate excitement since I became a viewer. Your content is top quality, and extremely informative. Your enthusiasm is contagious!
I saw this video just in time. I was about to head out and feed some cassowaries, roll around on the ground in front of them, then pick a fight with an emu. I think Clint just saved my life!
I’m going to make it a goal of mine to meet every single species of ratite at least once. I already have a few to check off the list! I know I’ve definitely seen an ostrich in a zoo before, but it’s been a while since I’ve been to a proper zoo and I’d like to see one again. Last month I went to the Caversham wildlife park in Western Australia and was lucky enough to see both an emu and a very handsome cassowary. It’s definitely a dream of mine to see a kiwi in New Zealand someday, a dream that I plan to achieve. Might as well add rhea on the list too. And in terms of the extinct species, I guess we’ll wait and see lol. If only u had posted this video a little earlier, then I would’ve had cool ratite facts to annoy a staff and/or family member with lol.
I find this video extremely satisfying and watching it again and again. As a paleontology nerd I knew most of these things already but this is just satisfying 😍
Thank you SO much for this video! As a lover of birds in general, with my favorites residing amongst the corvids, parrots, & ratites. My absolute favorite within ratites is the cassowary, specifically because they are a species in which is it very visually apparent, that they are, in fact, a surviving lineage of dinosaurs.
Been watching you (and subscribed to you) awhile now, as I find your video style to be right up there with the best teachers I ever had: an irrepressible and infectious joy for every subject matter you present. Thanks to you I will have to have a Dumeril's Boa, a Bearded Anole, a Green Keel-Bellied Lizard, a BioActive enlosure for my ridiculously cute Rubber Ducky Isopod...the list is endless. But now, NOW, you've given us a lesson in what has been, for my entire life since I was a small child and heard the words "Elephant Bird" and "Moa", an absolute obsession of mine. Thank you so much for this!!! I am definitely Team "Bring "em All Back!", and, for what it's worth, you've a new Patreon Supporter. Thank you!
The Elephant Bird is an interesting example of how island gigantism and flightlessness depend more on the lack of predators (caused, of course, by the area being isolated) than the area being small. Madagascar is technically an island but one that is bigger than entire France or more than twice as big as the New Zealand islands together, being the 4th largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo.
Those big islands, especially some place like Madagascar that's so close to Africa, it's kind of a surprise that no predators ever colonized the place. I mean, I wouldn't expect enough lions to get across the sea to Madagascar to establish a population, but some kind of wild dogs or cats could have made it across and gone completely nuts as the only predators until humans colonized the island.
@@richardkenan2891 Madagascar does actualy have "large" predators, the fossas. While they would pose no threat to an adult elephant bird, there is no doubt that some chicks were taken by fossas
I remember seeing a couple of kiwis when I lived in NZ for a year. They were so obviously filling the niche of a small mammal, since NZ doesn't have any native terrestrial mammals (they have bats). That's one thing I think you neglected to mention, and another reason many island birds lose their wings so quickly. They arrive on an island already full of birds, perhaps a reptile species or two, various land crabs but often with very few or no mammals. It's in their best interests to try out the ground. Kiwis certainly are unusual birds though. I'm Australian and have had many many encounters with aggressive, territorial and hungry emu! They peck very hard and you need to guard your food and protect your face. But we're the ones in their habitat so it's not so surprising. Just don't put down your car window when passing them by!! They will take anything you're holding through the window in a flash! 😂
...he did mention that in this video...27:27-28:57 maybe don't say something was neglected to be mentioned if you're just going to skip the entire chunk that states exactly what you said.
I love all your videos and your videos got me into watching animal videos on RUclips! Even though it's not your bread and butter, your evolution and dinosaur videos are, I think, the best presented videos about these topics on RUclips. So, whilst your pet review videos are fascinating and informative, I hope you can keep these videos coming and perhaps more more videos about different subjects like this one. To summarise, keep sharing your talent and passion buddy!
Wonderful video. Several years ago I was on a ranch and the owners told me to go where you want be don't be surprised if you see something unusual. Walked around and a huge bird walked up to me. At the time I didn't know birds very well and thought I didn't know emus had horns on their heads. This bird stayed within 8 feet of us for hours until we walked up on a group of young pigs and it tried to stomp on all of them and ran off with them. Good times
Great video, as always. And Dinosaur December is coming back?! That's good to hear! But can we pleeeeeaaase do a Jurrassic June too? Just asking for a friend.
An indigenous friend from Torres Strait Islands painted me a giant bird that was his families 'skin' responsibility ( like a totem animal). He told me it was extinct for many generations. It had short muscular legs relative to its tall standing height, upright neck, its head looked quite small with a low crest, and he said their ancestors used to breed them, keeping them in family groups.
Something you didn't talk about is how when we thought the ratites were a single group of birds, had all descended from a flightless ancestor that lived on the super continent of gondwana. But the dates don't add up, because the last common ancestor of the palaeognaths lived around 70 million years ago, and the last time all of gondwana was connected was around 150 million years ago. This further supports the evidence that they flew, and all became flightless.
I would think that each species needs to be considered separately, when deciding whether to bring them back from extinction. One factor that I would consider is whether humans were (or were likely to have been) responsible for their extinction, in which case it could be said that we have a duty to restore them if we can. Another factor that is especially in favour of bringing back the elephant bird is whether their loss may mean the loss of other species -- the Madagascar tree you mentioned, in the case of the elephant bird. Do you think maybe bringing back an iconic species could raise popular opinion for restoring their habitat as well? I would say that is an excellent reason for bringing back almost any species -- not tyrannosaurs, though; far too dangerous, not just for us but for other animals. I would be very interested in learning more about the Tasmanian tiger. In fact, I think I heard once that they sometimes were kept as pets, and that they were good pets too.
Not a zoologist like Clint but from my own research, while Tazzies were fairly docile and non-aggressive, they would need to undergo thousands of years of domestication to be comparable to other traditional mammal pets like dogs and cats. But they would likely be easy to 'tame' (tolerate humans and form some bond with us) though probably remain skittish and piss everywhere just like 'pet' foxes. They would have great potential for positive experiences with humans which would deepen empathy for them and continue to aid in conservation efforts. So still a great candidate for revival. But less of a pet and more of a sanctuary animal.
Bringing back non avian Dinosaurs is impossible with modern technology as DNA degrades completely after a million years, so no need to worry about Tyrannosaurus.
@@leokoogle3055 There was an experiment of domesticating foxes. With intensive selective breeding, they were able to domesticate them in only 40 years. They only bred the foxes that responded to humans with curiosity, in oppose to the more common fear or aggression.
Suggestion: I'd like to know how an Emu ranks as a pet because my father in law had a flock of them in Wisconsin. Some got out, and were found to have broken into at an old, abandoned hotel. The cops called him to come get them, they had them cornered in to lobby... He managed to get all but one. It's still loose, possibly dead by now, but there are sometimes sightings. It's freaking hilarious!
We should start a movement to get the ostrich as the new mascot for Thanksgiving. I wonder how the ostrich tastes with stuffing? I wonder if the ostrich will even fit in oven? So much to do so much to consider
I worked on a kind of farm for a while and they had two emus on the property. They're beautiful creatures, it was cool and unnerving to stand next to one cause they are so reminiscent of dinosaurs, at least visually
I clicked this video for cassowaries but watched the whole thing for elephant birds! Yes, we should bring back at least those animals whose extinction is taking important plant species with them. (I'm glad avocados aren't among them, even though the larger mammals eating them have disappeared.) Also I want a moa. (Also passenger pigeons!)
I think moas and elephant birds should be revived again because it might actually help the planet more. Plus we can get to know an amazing reptile that most people have never seen before. I’m fascinated by birds, especially very colorful ones like the Himalayan monal pheasant for example.. But my favorite bird might be the Philippine eagle. It may not be a pheasant or a peacock with bright, iridescent wing color but when I look at it, I feel like it is the most beautiful bird in the world. I love the crest, the blue-grey eyes, the talons, and it’s so cool to know they are the largest eagles in the world… ❤
It really is Fascinating considering the fact that Jacqueline is in the process of reverse engineering. A chicken back into a dinosaur he was an inspiration for the movie Jurassic park!!! And SAM Neil. " ALAN GRANT " WAS BASED ON. " JACK HORNER " " THE DINO BIRD " WILL BE AROUND MABY WITH IN 10 YEARS. JACK HORNER HAS BOOKS AND DONE EPISODES ON TED TALKS AND LOTS OF OTHER SHOWS AND ALMOST ABLE TO COMPLETELY REVERSE ENGINEERING A CHICKEN BACK INTO A DINOSAUR!!!
When I was New Zealand I got to see a kiwi bird. Its bigger than it looks AND it has the largest egg [egg to body ratio] of any bird. The egg literally looks like an adult fits in it, it was massive. 😮😮😮😂
This was one of your best videos! My only experience with this subset of your videos was with an egg bound Emu that a friend who was raising Emu's had asked me to hold while he was trying to recover the egg. The job briefing was the explanation about how to avoid the claws AFTER the Emu had just missed my arms that were wrapped around it's chest that had raked a handful of feathers from it's chest that shot out in front of it ~ 6 feet! 'We' then decided that it might be a good idea to stop what 'we' were doing to gain a little better understanding of the risks involved!
Couple things... 1: had a friend that worked on an emu farm back in the 90s when there was that fad where people would start emu farms in california to make hamburgers out of them (and yes, emu are delicious). He said that emu are mean as heck and the closest thing he's ever met to spielberg's velociraptors. Thing 2: funny that you mentioned the unextinction of mammoths as they already decided on the "should we", currently being incubated (i believe in a few elephants) are the firsr of the mammoths to be released in siberia later this year or possibly 2024. Apparently there is a niche involving vegetation that needs filling to help with climate change and the mammoths are perfect for that niche. (Someone was explaining the details as to why, but its 3 am right now and my brain's a bit foggy). The "will we, wont we" is almost certainly yes. Humans are far too curious a species to NOT genetically recreate moas and elephant birds, and dodos will likely be pets for my brother's grandkids (i have no kids and thus will not have grandkids. Kids make horrible pets. I'll just visit them at my brother's kid zoo.....er i mean house)
>currently being incubated I don't think that's true. I searched pretty well and could find zero evidence that a mammoth fetus is currently being incubated. Do you have a citation for what you said above?
I grew up in Central Brazil in the 50s and 60s. We often saw emus running near the roads and in the bush. Unfortunately they were hunted for their meat. They have often been kept in pairs in people’s yards as guard birds and snake eaters. The presidential palace in Brasilia has several pairs to this day.
That's fascinating! As an Australian, I never knew they roamed freely in another country. They must have been shipped to Brazil sometime long ago. I'm surprised they're hunted for meat, and saddened. They are amazing birds and comical to look at when they "play". We don't really keep any of our native animals as pets because we prefer them in the wild. The only ones kept in captivity are because they can't be returned to the wild or were bred in captivity. They are good guards though. Noisy, curious and angry, when they want to be. I hope they continue to live in Brazil for a long time and aren't hunted out.
Emus dont live in Brazil, but Rheas do. The Portuguese word for Rhea is Ema, which is very confusing as it sounds like Emu. The only reason an Emu would be in Brazil is if someone imported it there.
I was just reading about this family of birds yesterday, after Tyler Nolan posted about getting some Emu eggs. Go figure - the moa and Elephant Bird would be awesome to see even if just in captivity! ;)
I know you do a lot more one off videos for general education now, but as a new Uromastyx owner I would love to see an exploration of the different kinds of Uromastyx out there. They are amazing pets and gaining popularity very quickly.
Clint I have some sad news, dodo birds would not make good pets, apparently the dodo was quite "bitey" as described by the sailors who found them. Though are are still equally adorable
@@KhanArtist3 True enough, but if they were intelligent, they would have very quickly learned that humans were bad news. Especially after seeing other birds captured or killed. And the killing likely started as soon as the sailors were off the boat, because that is what hungry sailors who have been living on rations at sea would do.
OK Clint, you've gone and done it... I really, and I mean REALLY need a video on those "Demon Ducks" you mentioned. Sure I could research about them myself (I probably will to an extent) but I would much prefer to hear you speak on them, that would be far more enjoyable to me
I absolutely LOVE your channel!! Your knowledge base is, clearly, massive and you don't talk down to your viewers. You are also very engaging to watch and listen to. As to, "should we?", my answer is a hard NO. We can't stop eradicating the species we have now, why bring more that will, ultimately suffer the same fate?
Thanks for the Tinamous information. They are only occasionally mentioned, but rarely described. Was there ever a significantly larger ancestor of the Kiwi? Stephen Gould suggested that as an argument for its large egg.
Cliff, I realize that perhaps an area with the right coconuts, fairly large, might be a viable environment for the Elephant Birds, but can we recreate them and what would be the host egg? I can see the gleam in your eyes:) Cheers, Rik Spector
Lambs have been grown in artificial wombs, so I'm sure something could be arranged. Socialisation and appropriate behaviour might be much more problematic.
5:02 Look at that locomotion! It just occurred to me that the Ostrich seems to be able to freely walk/look for food with its head near the ground or up at it's full height without being disoriented. It's used to viewing the world 1 foot off the ground, 9 ft off the ground, and everything in between. Meanwhile when I go from driving a car to my grandpa's truck, it feels weird while driving down the road going from those two height extremes, and that isn't even close to truckers driving semis.
Over 19 MINUTES of BONUS content from this video, exclusively for our Stinkin' Rad Fans on Patreon! Patreon is a great way to support Clint's Reptiles AND get awesome extras (including hundreds of other bonus videos)! www.patreon.com/posts/video-patreon-80073479
Thanks! I can't become a member, but still enjoy them!
two words, moar dinosaurs!
Flight limits size?
What about quetzalcoatlus and hatzegopteryx?
@@bradley4706They were large quadrupeds while birds stand on two legs, the upper limit on birds as far as we've seen is a 150 lb condor like animal, Argentavis Magnificens.
@@concon9107 yes but the idea was the larger the thing the less it could fly. But they were much larger and could fly.
Or at least people think they could fly.
The Calvaria tree of Mauritius almost went extinct forty years ago. In 1977 there were only 13 trees, each over 300 years old and dying. A project to rescue the species discovered that only by feeding the fruit to large birds such as turkeys and geese were the seeds able to be germinated, suggesting a dependency of the tree on the dodo.
Actually, I think they found that giant tortoises did an even better job of distributing the seeds. The birds that were used in the experiment had to be force fed.
Still, many seeds need a proper intestinal Passage to germinate. Poo is a good fertilizer. 😅
Fascinating 🤩👍
The researchers could have skipped the birds and did it themselves. It's not a particular bird, or even any bird. It's just the digestive process through the system of any bird or mammal is needed to break down some of the outer casing, which normally wouldn't allow it to germinate properly unless it had spent a LONG time in the soil. In most cases you can carefully slice the casing or similar, or soak it in something for a while that will soften it. The bird method is just some extraneous nonsense added to promote the story.
Humans don't use gastroliths, so I'm curious if the wear caused by digestive gravel is relevant in this case. I believe there are other plants that require this as well
I grew up in Australia and have an immense love for emus.
I almost acquired a pair in France but decided against it. Good choice because I got divorced and lost that property and would have had a terrible time rehoming them correctly (I did have rheas when living in South America).
However, my new neighbour got two for his 15th birthday and still has the male, Sydney, who is now 30 years old.
I went to a park the other day where there were emus and started drumming at them and they were replying.
Then I turned around and saw a keeper staring at me as if I were mad.
I said, “I’m Australian”. I find that response is usually widely accepted when caught doing anything eccentric.
@ggoannas I have never left Australia. Too much that I still have to experience here. However, I too like Emus but my favourite bird of that type is definitely the Cassowary. I've lived in Far Nth Queensland and have seen Cassowaries many times. They are smaller than Emus but are magnificent in their colour, and stockiness. And contrary to legend, are quite placid if not threatened. I've been lucky enough to see Emus in the wild, in zoos, and emus that choose to hang around remote outstations or roadhouses because there's reliable water and an easy feed from tourists and locals. Hann River Roadhouse, on the Peninsula Development Road on Cape York, has an Emu that has hung around for years.
Emus also make regular appearances at Musgrave Roadhouse, on the Cape.
@@BradGryphonn I miss Australia very much.
The smell of eucalyptus, the white trunks, the red earth, the flocks of parrots, the little streams full of sicle like gum leaves, the blue wrens glinting like jewels in the undergrowth and the calls of the bellbirds.
I could go on and on….
@@BradGryphonn Thanks! I will.
Ahahahahah
Lol 😂
I'm on team bring back the moa, even if reintroduction is totally impossible, they would be a really powerful ambassador for conservation generally.
Yeah, imagine being a little kid and going on a trip to the zoo and they tell you "this bird should be dead. And it was. The only reason it's here is because of humans, but the only reason it died is humans. Prevent the ratite's story from repeating itself."
I dont think it would be impossible, but the first batch would be full of surprises since we know little about them. Pretty much every behavior would be unknown to us and we would have to figure out what role they fill in the ecosystem.
Why should it be impossible to reintroduce Moas?
@@magnuslunzer2335 the environment probably wouldn’t support them anymore, that and it would throw the ecosystem off
Plus mounted combat
The South American _hoatzin_ is my favorite living dinosaur. Their chicks still have *teeth and claws!* (the _only_ bird species I'm aware of that still has teeth.) I find them absolutely fascinating. It's like looking back in time! If a nest is threatened, the chicks will actually jump out of the nest (usually over water), swim like a diving bird, then use their claws to climb back up the tree into the nest. The adult birds lose their teeth and claws, but they still look reminiscent of some of the earliest feathered flying dinosaurs with their long, loose feathers everywhere ( _especially_ the tail feathers and crown feathers.)
Holy moly
Some have Tomia, and it’s a little shocking.
Wow, that wikipedia page was interesting. Based off genetics they're the last surviving species of a line of birds that branched off 64 million years ago. That's a long time but still way more recent than I thought birds retained teeth at all.
@@DakotaRowehl only One milion years After the great kaboom? Man that means they are more like dinosaurs than the rest of the birds in the world, we gotta protect the precious
I know you didn’t specify claws but what I find even cooler about birds as a whole is a LOT of them still have claws on their wings, Cassowaries have especially prominent claws but even something like the chicken does have noticeable claws. Which is what will always be in the back of my mind whenever I see a whole chicken at the grocery store.
As a professor, I just love how you explained all of this. I can tell you're an amazing teacher. I think giant birds are cool, but I'm also afraid of them! I'd love to see a video on "The Dodo Bird: the Best Pet Bird?" I already know Cassowaries aren't!
Cassowaries, pit bulls for bird people.
Given that he's done videos on King Cobras and Black Mambas, there's no reason he couldn't do a video on whether Cassowaries are the best pet birds even though we all know they aren't. It's not like anybody thought that King Cobras or Black Mambas were the best pet snakes either. They were still great videos.
We could have the question answered in a few more years when Colossal brings it back, but it would probably not be a good pet due to its beak potentially destroying furniture, and owning one will likely be VERY illegal similar to owning a lemur or wild macaw.
So, fun story
Growing up in the New Zealand countryside in the 90s my primary school had an annual "Agricultural Day" near the end of the year. About halfway through the year, all the kids would have to get an animal (or plant) to raise up and compete with on Ag Day. (Plants were considered a cop out, unless your parents were hippies haha)
For my last Ag Day, being an edgy 11 year old I wanted to raise something different from the "mainstream" animals (think calves, lambs, chickens, dogs) and my parents sourced for me an emu egg and an incubator from a farm down the road.
I hatched it out myself, and as she grew I would spend hours each day with her playing in her sandpit digging holes and messing around with a whole bunch of baby toys (mirrors, blocks, etc.). She was awesome! Very affectionate and SMART! She learned to fetch, leg weave and sit on command completely without me meaning to teach her. She loved to sit on my lap and talk to me hehe
We won the champion ribbon in the "poultry" section that year 😂And I sometimes wonder now what the adults thought at the time ("fkn extra kid with her weird Australian chicken" probably, if it wasn't "who the fk gave that child an emu")
The deal was that after Ag Day she would be returned to the emu farm, which was probably a better place for her to become an adult emu than some kid's backyard (the girl emus just had their loose feathers collected, no worries!) but damn I missed her- apparently she went on to be very bossy towards the other emus but loved her humans ❤
Very emusing. I was surprised when I passed a derelict farm on my way to my local North Island service town to see an emu in a small partitioned paddock by the road. If you looked at the native NZ Bush and scrub clad hills behind it & ignored the sound of traffic you could kid yourself it was a reasonably large Moa!
I have ( just once) seen a Kiwi in my garden at dusk and heard one up close once at night but couldn't see it. We used to even hear them at night in Auckland as kids in Native Bush tracts (then on the outskirts of Auckland). I doubt if any remain now as it is way more built up. The farms all turned to subdivisions in the late 70s/early 80s.
That's really interesting! I had no idea they were so affectionate, smart, chatty or that they formed that close of a bond. I've mostly heard that they weren't really that friendly toward humans and it wasn't obvious, in any of the documentaries I've seen, that they were particularly close with each other, either. Very cool!
I was wondering being raise by humans how well she would integrate into the flock (?). Sound like she would have been good for a petting zoo too.
@@rickh3714 There are still some Kiwi in various reserves and patches of bush out by Pine Harbour, and of course Motu Tapu has got a thriving population, among other places "near" Mighty Auckland.
@@uncletiggermclaren7592
Good to hear. The area I was talking about occupies the tract of land between Whitford & what is now Dannemora ( which I don't think existed back then & Cockle Bay- now mostly fairly heavily populated suburbs). I once saw a pair of little blue penguins in Downtown Auckland near the Waiheke ferry terminal ( circa 2008 ) too. I think I heard Kiwi near Huia circa 1982-ish also.
I lived in NZ for a couple years as a kid. People still had moa feathers as trinkets or family heirlooms. It’s crazy how recently moas were here.
it helps that feathers are quite resilient.
@LIMAX I misremembered, some of the older Māori clothing had them. Excuse me.
I doubt they are actual moa feathers.
@@PondScummer yeah i was thinking huis feathers woven into korowai or used to adorn the hair.
New zealanders don’t really have moa feathers in their homes; they’ve been dead mostly too long for that. I think you’re thinking of huia feathers.
Some RUclips channels utterly shame our education system. This is one of them. Kids are very, very lucky to have you, Clint.
Well he is biologist
I'm of the mind that if an animal was driven to extinction because of humans; not only is it right for us to bring them back, it is our duty as the dominant species and stewards of this planet to correct such an injustice.
Friendly reminder that the GREAT EMU WAR is the most glorious and simultaneously most hilarious event in history.
Losses in this war include 2 emu on their side, and dignity on the human side.
The great American war on black currants pales in comparison. Though was a bit more successful in their failure.
never doubt the power of an emu
The saying goes, “every time you watch a Clint’s Reptiles video, you learn something new.” Talking about all these extinct animals makes me want a video about recently extinct animals.
Yeah, I can happily second that motion.🤓
it's really a good enough topic for an entirely new series of videos!
Here's me putting my vote in for glyptodon!
Understatement of the century 😂 i learn ALOT from Clint ❤
i really love the amount of stress clint puts on his advice for not dying to a cassowary. its both hilarious and terrifying and really thats all i expect out of a real life dinosaur
Don't fall down.
I do believe the more recent dude was actually having a stroke or heart attack which caused them to fall down.
@@ladykoiwolfe don't have a stroke. EZ
I'm a fan of bringing back some of the animals we made extinct back, as well as bringing back some megafauna. I feel that they'll have a similar effect in certain areas as wolves did in Yellowstone. Especially in the Tundra style areas such as up in Syberia, I feel that mammoths might make improvements to the natural area.
WE didn’t make them extinct. Things go extinct all of the time. It’s only the ridiculous claims made by people calling themselves ‘experts’ that make you think this.
I would agree for some species. I’d focus on very recently extinct first personally. My worry is lack of habitat cause of humans for megafauna
Let the Maori figure it out. It's their fault!
Yes please, let's do it... Except for T-Rex. Please for heaven sake, no T-Rex. If we learned anything from the movie Jurassic Park...
@@frederickd.provoncha8671 You know that movie is fiction right? All those animals in that movie seem completely bloodthirsty. A real life T-Rex would not behave like that at all
I’m just imagining a baby seeing a predator for the first time and their parent flies away and the baby thinking “WE CAN DO THAT?!?!”
As an Aussie, it's so refreshing hearing the word emu pronounced correctly
As a bird paleontologist, I just want to say that Clint's videos are brilliant and I especially appreciate the emphasis on viewing biodiversity from a phylogenetic perspective. It's incredible how much information they can present in such a clear and engaging way. I've of course been enjoying the recent focus on birds and other dinosaurs, and look forward to seeing more!
A couple of comments: the paleognath phylogeny used here is a somewhat unconventional one. The majority of recent analyses focusing on paleognath interrelationships tend to find a cassowary/emu + kiwi + elephantbird clade excluding the moa + tinamou lineage (and there's also some uncertainty about whether the moa + tinamou clade should switch places with the rheas). That being said, the tree in this video has been recovered by a couple of large-scale studies, so I wouldn't count it out just yet; there's just a lot of work left to do regarding paleognath phylogenetics!
This wasn't mentioned in the video, but kiwi are another paleognath group that have retained four toes per foot. (Conversely, there are a few tinamous that have lost the innermost toe and become three-toed, namely members of the genera Eudromia and Tinamotis.)
I generally don't think it's worth getting worked up about the pronunciation of scientific terms, but given that it came up in the outtakes: I and most other bird researchers I know say paleognath as "paleo-nayth".
Thanks for the cool additional info!
I believe the clade is not a necessary taxonomic classification either. The Kiwi may be in the same clade as the other ratites in Oceania but they are extremely loosely related to the others… being that they are in their own family and order. I usually don’t bother with clade’s.
Though it understand why someone who actually works in that field needs it.
As science always is and will be, ever-changing. Thank you for your perspective!
I swear, there’s nothing more predictable than disagreements over taxonomy. 🤣
How does one become a bird paleontologist? Sounds like you could never be bored with that career.
I love watching these phylogenies as a classicist, because I know the Latin and Greek words. "Struthio" comes to us straight from the Latin for ostrich, which I always remember weirdly because the Latin for a giraffe is "struthiocamelus," "ostrichcamel." Fun description of a giraffe!
and the scientific name for an ostrich is "struthio camelus"
22:00 my parents used to live in northern qld and would go bush walking a lot. They told me about this time they encountered a wild cassowary while bush walking. My parents are both over 6ft tall but felt tiny compared to it. They told me they stayed as still as possible because of how terrified they were, and well ehat do you know they survived haha. Respect the bird and dont fall down
Never fall down!
the two idiots mentioned in the video didnt deserved it another way than getting slashed into pieces when they tried to kill one.
Particularly great video. I love your passion for not only living creatures, but also the science of biology and evolution.
Evolution is pseudo science though... modern science has long retired it. encode project alone flat out proved humans never evolved.
Clint, you're really pioneering the Educational Field on YT, you are by far the best at explaining the complex phylogeny and phenotypes, I have always loved bio, and I attribute that partly to teachers, but also to channels and TV like this, thank you so much for exploring and explaining the Reptile world.
Please make more videos about extinct birds. As a bird nerd, I find it really interesting how little I actually know about extinct bird species. I feel like they are often left out when people discuss extinct creatures.
Just remember this universal truth, all them chicken birds taste good.
Ohhhh he could do the North American parot!
@@ThunderStruck15is that the same as the Carolina Parakeet? That was the United States most beautiful bird some say. I’m definitely for bringing it back but without the vast cane breaks that covered most of the lowland areas adjacent to marshes in the SE they would unfortunately face the same problem that doomed them to begin with. I wish we could accept some balance when interacting with the world we live in, smh.🦜
@@stevesaturnation The other issue is that other introduced parakeets have probably already colonized the little remaining parrot habitat left.
The only recently manmade extinct birds I see discussed are the dodo and passenger pigeon.
As an Australian, I am overjoyed to hear an American correctly pronounce emu. Thank you!
Literally same. This is why we love clint
Wait how do Americans usually pronounce it? I thought how Clint did was the only way anyone ever did.
@@loofy530 e-moo. He says e-mew which is correct. So many people make a moo sound but the correct pronunciation is e-mew
E🐮 instead of E😺
@@antjaysocial I've literally never heard someone pronounce it e-moo, and I used to volunteer at a zoo that had an emu. E-mew is the only pronunciation I've ever heard.
Listening to Clint talk about other strands of life makes you appreciate that this guy is just stinking rad at all animals full stop. Thank you Clint. You are an absolute joy and a light.
My former neighbors in COLORADO raised Emus. My other neighbors were classified as a private zoo and had care of rare and endangered bird species. Our local public zoo had lions. I went to sleep each night to cawing Peacocks and Lion roars and huffing. I didn't realize that even people who live in places where these animals are native rarely see and hear them.
I absolutely love Clint's enthusiasm about these animals for the sheer remarkableness of them. It reminds me of how I felt as a kid being delighted about the existence of different animals.
I'm usually most interested in (scaled) reptiles, but this is my favorite video you've ever done. I've had a special fascination with ratites ever since some fieldwork in college landed me in NZ with a research partner who just happened to excavate subfossil animal remains as a hobby, and he let me tag along to dig up moa bones one weekend. I thought I'd managed to teach myself a thing or two about ratites since then, but you just taught me so much more. Thank you!
the ratites are the group of birds that go "wait, we're dinosaurs all along aren't we?" and go on to live like dinosaurs.
In some sense the oldest groups of ratites to become flightless appear to have done so in the immediate aftermath or thereabouts of the K-Pg extinction.
@@Dragrath1they really just went "We're back niches!"
You should definitely do a whole video on Madagascar! The ecology there is so wild, and looking throughout history it seemingly always has been wild and weird. Why? It's resources? It's location? Is it beneath a vortex of pure magic? I wanna know!
all old islands have some level of weirdness. remember, the British isles have only been islands for a relatively short time. in the early bronze age, you could walk from italy to Scotland, no boat required.
Hopefully he can visit Madagascar. That'd be fun.
I read that the island was part of the mainland,,, a million years ago or more,,,I don't remember.
The animals, all fauna, we😊re isolated at that point.
It would be odd if it wasn't really different on Madagascar.
@@Hankyjane way more than a million. More like 10 million.
One million years is not even enough to make a horse.
@@marvalice3455 Way more than 10 million. Madagascar has not been connected to anything since 90 million years ago, and that thing it was connected to 90 million years ago was India. That's right. India and Madagascar used to be one large island. The last time they were connected to a continent is estimated to be over 160 million years ago during the breakup of Gondwana. That is when Madagascar separated from the African plate. But even earlier than that, it is possible there is already a sea that flooded that part of the continent, so that there a geographic barrier for animals to cross, if not a geological one. The ancestors of all the native birds, mammals, and reptiles that evolved on Madagascar are all suspected of having arrived after it was an island. So the ur-lemur, ur-chameleon, and ur-euplerid all probably rafted there or much less likely swam there. The ancestor of elephant birds probably flew there from somewhere, but it could have rafted too.
Please do a video exclusively about deextinction! It's such an interesting discussion that I feel like rarely gets the coverage it deserves. Most takes I see boil down to "Deextinction is cool af in concept, but should we do it?" without really examining the dilemma in any real depth, but it's such a fascinating one! How would we raise a revived population? What would the ecological effects be? How would reintroducing now-extinct species affect their ecosystems? There are so many interesting questions to examine here that get the spotlight far too rarely, which is a shame!
This is the best presented most comprehensive and informative video I've ever seen on RUclips.
Can I just commend you as an Aussie how nice it is to hear someone pronounce Emus correctly? Go the dinosaur 🦖🦕!!
I've learned from my past mistakes. Thank you Aussies for your patience with my ignorance and your willingness to teach me the way.
Ditto!
Strange. I’ve only ever heard people pronounce it that way. Didn’t realize it was uncommon.
I mean you guys lost a war to them so it makes sense that you guys have to say it correctly, I will probably continue butchering the pronunciation since I dont have emus breathing down my neck.
@@Exquailibur Tbf they are pretty terrifying as far as birds go… not as scary as this black masked love bird I used to have though.
I remember requesting this 😮. Definitely watching after work. Ratites, the best modern dinos🦖
It was a great suggestion!
@@ClintsReptiles The Terror Birds were shown in the tv series Primeval as feathered horrors very dangerous carnivore 7ft tall and extremely fast runners. Let's bring those back to liven things up as humans have it too easy without carnivores after us.
This was wonderful! So I was an exchange student in Darwin, NT, where I stayed with a family outside of the city (read “in the bush”). My Aussie Dad was found an injured emu on the road and brought it home. When I stayed with them, the emu, called Charlie, stayed in a large pen out back, with the chickens (aka chooks). Charlie was right on eye-level with me, and I found him quite unnerving. Fascinating, though. 🌙💜☮️
Love from Darwin NT
I know this video is old but I just wanted to say, your tie is amazing Clint!
I really enjoy the enthusiasm in Clint's voice when discussing topics he's passionate about. It brings me back to being 8 years old and memorizing every dinosaur, car, and jet/airplane I came across. Seeing that in our son (2 yrs old now), all this brings me much joy. Thank you.
Bring back Dodo! You can bring the other birds and mammals too, but the best thing about Dodo is how easy it would be to keep them alive as pets and farm animals. For large animals like Moa and Mammoth we would have to create big Zoo enclosures or wild natural reserves which I also support, but Dodo is cheaper.
We have no physical dna patterns making it’s almost impossible
If you want to “de-extinct” do it for the Tasmanian Tiger, it's actually needed, the dodo would be a waste of time.
Wasn't the Dodo's taste actually awful? To the point you had to kill other things just to mix them with the Dodo and make it barely bearable?
I think outside of it's ecological niche in that Island it doesn't have a purpose, and that island still has the conditions that drove the Dodo to extinction.
@@mexcore14i think they meant as a pet and farm (egg) population
If we had genetic material for dodos, they would definitely be the first on the list. Unfortunately, dodos were not archived well. My dad's cousin's boyfriend rescued the head of a dodo out of a museum trash burn when he recognized what it was (both zoologists). The Mount had been invested with dermestid beetles, so they were burning it not even considering that there could be unique material there. That head and foot are 2 of the only pieces we have left of a dodo and they are not in good condition for DNA recovery (burn damage and mold damage from mount being poorly done originally). In recent articles I haven't even seen that specimen listed as one in existence, so it's possible that something further happened to it since then. If I remember correctly it is in Australia. Unless something shows up in a private collection somewhere, I'm afraid that dodos are gone for good. The only other chance we have is possibly a partially developed egg that got buried really deep on the island that hasn't been found yet somehow.
Edit: okay I found it, Oxford has it now! www.google.com/search?q=dodo+specimens+remaining&client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=581526710&sxsrf=AM9HkKkvLZ89Y5nOMijSfepzCXKLuFRfNg%3A1699714828495&ei=DJdPZeHXHe_NkPIPkaiNkAI&oq=dodo+specimens+remaining&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhhkb2RvIHNwZWNpbWVucyByZW1haW5pbmcyBRAhGKABSMY6UKkLWLUxcAN4AJABAZgBjgGgAecYqgEFMjEuMTK4AQPIAQD4AQGoAg_CAggQABiiBBiwA8ICBxAjGOoCGCfCAgoQIxiKBRjqAhgnwgIEECMYJ8ICCxAuGLEDGIoFGJECwgIIEAAYigUYkQLCAggQLhiABBixA8ICBxAAGIoFGEPCAhAQLhiKBRixAxjHARjRAxhDwgILEAAYigUYsQMYkQLCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICCBAuGIoFGJECwgIKEAAYgAQYFBiHAsICBRAAGIAEwgIGEAAYFhgewgIIEAAYigUYhgPiAwQYASBBiAYBkAYE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#vhid=6lQtMm5qxl9uUM&vssid=l
It's pretty crazy to think that he pulled that out of a fire and that somebody didn't recognize it and thought it was just some piece of junk.
As an Aussie, I'm so happy to see you so excited about our modern dinos!
Clint: Should we resurrect Moas or mammouths?
Me: Sure, why not?
Clint: What about T-Rex?
Me: Wait, no!
Why not? That would be the most awesome ressurrection.
@@renato7184because “life finds a way”
You need to watch more movies bro 😢🦖
@@renato7184 but what if it escapes?
@@douglasmcgee3765 It would be no worse than any big bird. It's not a monster like in the movies.
@@renato7184 fair enough
I live in Brisbane Australia and one time stayed in Mission Beach. I saw a wild male Cassowary on the side of the road on 2 occasions. It was pretty exciting! 😁
Recently stumbled upon your videos. That was a happy day. I don't know how many are available, but I intend to watch all that I can find. Thank you for the time and effort you have put into these. Educational and entertaining.
I lived in Coober Pedy for a couple years, in Australian inland desert, and had a pond. One day i looked out the kitchen window and saw a pair of giant emus walk up the red dirt driveway, out of the vast desert, probably smelling water. . One of the most majestic and somewhat intimidating things ive ever seen. Im 5ft 6" and im pretty sure they were both taller than me.
Wanted to let people, who dont know, know. Brian Barczyk has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Im sending prayers and well wishes to him and his family. Regardless of peoples feelings about Brian, he is a pillar of this community and needs our support.
Brian and his family are in my prayers. I'm planning to be up to see him soon. Thank you for speaking up.
This guy is really a great presenter, very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun.
Moas and elephant birds. They can join the aurochs in the potential 'it can come back!' list, though there is apparently an effort to 'back breed' aurochs from modern cow breeds that have domesticated aurochs in their lineage.
In that case, you're really just creating more aurochs-like cows. Taurine cattle are believed to all descend from as few as 80 aurochs, which would be only one or two herds. So there's a lot of genetic diversity that's probably gone forever.
Bring them back! Dodos and Passenger pigeons too. Also, I am a fan of the Kiwi bird as well. They are so cute! Subscribed!
I showed my wife a couple of clint's videos and she says he reminds her of Steve Erwin with the amount of joy and excitement he has when talking about animals
He reminds me of Vincent Price.
i think reintroducing mammoths to the mammoth steppe would be extremely good for conservation. the area is already doing better with the recent reintroduction of large grazing herbivores, and mammoths would help to push back forests in the area, allowing for even more grazing herbivores, their weight on snow also helps keep the permafrost in the area from being insulated as much by the snow, which helps it to freeze more deeply each winter to allow for less melt in the summer months. they're also stinkin rad.
Honestly if we can bring them back we should given we were the reason they went extinct in the first place. However they should only be in North America because 1 the climate and bountiful open fields are more appropriate for them 2 they won’t be in direct competition with elephants making existence easier for both species.
In 2024 they're trying to D extinct the mammoth they actually have a large land set aside in Siberia I believe
@@steakinbacon8593 Mammoths still exist! they are Indian Elephants!
I used to take care of an emu at a now defunct aviary and zoo. He was extremely friendly and affectionate.
I used to work at a zoo in Michigan with emu also think we had three of them I used to work in their cages cleaning up after them and playing with them their poop sure does stink diarrhea like poop
Love your videos, the format you lay out with the closest relatives is so incredibly useful, so informative. Thank you.
I'd never heard of or seen a picture of a Cassowary before until I found myself face to face with one (a fence between us) on a school trip to the zoo. Just calmly standing tall and staring at me. It's a surreal experience.
You are *way too delighted* about the Aussies losing a war against the emus. And as a Kiwi, I'm here for that!
And I say bring back the moa - the bigger the better. One of the things that saddens me the most is that those fantastic birds went extinct. I'd love to see a live one.
Haast's eagle and the Moa have always been my favorite animals, ever since I was about 7 and read an interview of a lady who remembered being a kid on an expedition to New Zealand with her father and a few of his coworkers. He told her to not go out to play when he wasn't home but she did one day and saw in the mud a large footprint that was thought for a long time to possibly be a small group of Moa, last of their kind. There was never any signs or proof, so they were continued to be categorized as extinct and even if a few were alive then it would be doubtful they still were by that interview date.
I would challenge the claim ratites are the coolest living dinosaurs because I think corvids absolutely deserve that title.
Also struthiomimus is one of my least favorite dinosaurs, and it feels wrong to declare it's modern imitator among the coolest living dinosaurs. It implies a downgrade I don't think happened.
As a Kiwi i totally disagree. LOL
For me the coolest living dinosaur is the Inaccessible Island rail, anything I can't access makes me want it more
@@the_lomax why you guys have ropes which are like the most hardcore corvids.
Parrots are up there too.
parrots beat corvids for me
My dad was a geologist. I swear every single thanksgiving he has to crack some sort of "How did you enjoy your dinosaur?" Joke 😆
Elephant Bird Park. "Sir, the elephant birds are eating the guests!" 🤣
I can definitively say that your videos have made me even more insufferably annoying to my friend group, as I have easily doubled my outbursts of random animal facts and invertebrate excitement since I became a viewer. Your content is top quality, and extremely informative. Your enthusiasm is contagious!
I saw this video just in time. I was about to head out and feed some cassowaries, roll around on the ground in front of them, then pick a fight with an emu. I think Clint just saved my life!
I’m going to make it a goal of mine to meet every single species of ratite at least once. I already have a few to check off the list! I know I’ve definitely seen an ostrich in a zoo before, but it’s been a while since I’ve been to a proper zoo and I’d like to see one again. Last month I went to the Caversham wildlife park in Western Australia and was lucky enough to see both an emu and a very handsome cassowary. It’s definitely a dream of mine to see a kiwi in New Zealand someday, a dream that I plan to achieve. Might as well add rhea on the list too. And in terms of the extinct species, I guess we’ll wait and see lol. If only u had posted this video a little earlier, then I would’ve had cool ratite facts to annoy a staff and/or family member with lol.
How to survive Liveleak: Don't let your shoes come off.
How to survive a Cassowary: Don't fall down.
21:20 the cheerful look while going "So let's talk bodycount!" It just hilarious.
I find this video extremely satisfying and watching it again and again. As a paleontology nerd I knew most of these things already but this is just satisfying 😍
Thank you SO much for this video! As a lover of birds in general, with my favorites residing amongst the corvids, parrots, & ratites. My absolute favorite within ratites is the cassowary, specifically because they are a species in which is it very visually apparent, that they are, in fact, a surviving lineage of dinosaurs.
Been watching you (and subscribed to you) awhile now, as I find your video style to be right up there with the best teachers I ever had: an irrepressible and infectious joy for every subject matter you present. Thanks to you I will have to have a Dumeril's Boa, a Bearded Anole, a Green Keel-Bellied Lizard, a BioActive enlosure for my ridiculously cute Rubber Ducky Isopod...the list is endless. But now, NOW, you've given us a lesson in what has been, for my entire life since I was a small child and heard the words "Elephant Bird" and "Moa", an absolute obsession of mine. Thank you so much for this!!! I am definitely Team "Bring "em All Back!", and, for what it's worth, you've a new Patreon Supporter. Thank you!
I've been a patreon supporter for a few years now. You will love the extras videos every week! Lots of humor and info!
Ngl the future generations are gonna find this video and comment “wHoS hErE wHeN mOaS cAmE bAcK”
The Elephant Bird is an interesting example of how island gigantism and flightlessness depend more on the lack of predators (caused, of course, by the area being isolated) than the area being small. Madagascar is technically an island but one that is bigger than entire France or more than twice as big as the New Zealand islands together, being the 4th largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo.
Those big islands, especially some place like Madagascar that's so close to Africa, it's kind of a surprise that no predators ever colonized the place. I mean, I wouldn't expect enough lions to get across the sea to Madagascar to establish a population, but some kind of wild dogs or cats could have made it across and gone completely nuts as the only predators until humans colonized the island.
@@richardkenan2891 Madagascar does actualy have "large" predators, the fossas. While they would pose no threat to an adult elephant bird, there is no doubt that some chicks were taken by fossas
Australia is the biggest island in the world 😉
Madagascar is not a small landmass. It is the size of the Eastern Seaboard of the US. Hardly Island gigantism.
I remember seeing a couple of kiwis when I lived in NZ for a year. They were so obviously filling the niche of a small mammal, since NZ doesn't have any native terrestrial mammals (they have bats). That's one thing I think you neglected to mention, and another reason many island birds lose their wings so quickly. They arrive on an island already full of birds, perhaps a reptile species or two, various land crabs but often with very few or no mammals. It's in their best interests to try out the ground. Kiwis certainly are unusual birds though.
I'm Australian and have had many many encounters with aggressive, territorial and hungry emu! They peck very hard and you need to guard your food and protect your face. But we're the ones in their habitat so it's not so surprising. Just don't put down your car window when passing them by!! They will take anything you're holding through the window in a flash! 😂
So emus are true to form for Aussie wild life, they will (try to) kill you.
...he did mention that in this video...27:27-28:57 maybe don't say something was neglected to be mentioned if you're just going to skip the entire chunk that states exactly what you said.
I love all your videos and your videos got me into watching animal videos on RUclips!
Even though it's not your bread and butter, your evolution and dinosaur videos are, I think, the best presented videos about these topics on RUclips. So, whilst your pet review videos are fascinating and informative, I hope you can keep these videos coming and perhaps more more videos about different subjects like this one.
To summarise, keep sharing your talent and passion buddy!
Wonderful video. Several years ago I was on a ranch and the owners told me to go where you want be don't be surprised if you see something unusual. Walked around and a huge bird walked up to me. At the time I didn't know birds very well and thought I didn't know emus had horns on their heads. This bird stayed within 8 feet of us for hours until we walked up on a group of young pigs and it tried to stomp on all of them and ran off with them. Good times
Officer : "Sir why were you trying to club that Emu?" Me: "Clint gave me the idea!"
I could have given the video a +1 for many reasons, Clint, but mentioning the 'Emu War' was definitely my favorite 🤗
Great video, as always. And Dinosaur December is coming back?! That's good to hear! But can we pleeeeeaaase do a Jurrassic June too? Just asking for a friend.
An indigenous friend from Torres Strait Islands painted me a giant bird that was his families 'skin' responsibility ( like a totem animal). He told me it was extinct for many generations. It had short muscular legs relative to its tall standing height, upright neck, its head looked quite small with a low crest, and he said their ancestors used to breed them, keeping them in family groups.
Clint you make amazing videos and i love them, you and snake discovery are my favorite reptile youtubers🐸🐊🐢🦎🐍🦕🦖🕷🕸🦅🐍🐍
Something you didn't talk about is how when we thought the ratites were a single group of birds, had all descended from a flightless ancestor that lived on the super continent of gondwana. But the dates don't add up, because the last common ancestor of the palaeognaths lived around 70 million years ago, and the last time all of gondwana was connected was around 150 million years ago. This further supports the evidence that they flew, and all became flightless.
What a great science communicator! Superbly accessible and entertaining, without dumbing down in the slightest.
Your phylogeny videos are one of my favorite things I have ever come across on RUclips.
I would think that each species needs to be considered separately, when deciding whether to bring them back from extinction. One factor that I would consider is whether humans were (or were likely to have been) responsible for their extinction, in which case it could be said that we have a duty to restore them if we can. Another factor that is especially in favour of bringing back the elephant bird is whether their loss may mean the loss of other species -- the Madagascar tree you mentioned, in the case of the elephant bird.
Do you think maybe bringing back an iconic species could raise popular opinion for restoring their habitat as well? I would say that is an excellent reason for bringing back almost any species -- not tyrannosaurs, though; far too dangerous, not just for us but for other animals.
I would be very interested in learning more about the Tasmanian tiger. In fact, I think I heard once that they sometimes were kept as pets, and that they were good pets too.
i think the moas would like to be alive. its such an easy question.
Not a zoologist like Clint but from my own research, while Tazzies were fairly docile and non-aggressive, they would need to undergo thousands of years of domestication to be comparable to other traditional mammal pets like dogs and cats. But they would likely be easy to 'tame' (tolerate humans and form some bond with us) though probably remain skittish and piss everywhere just like 'pet' foxes. They would have great potential for positive experiences with humans which would deepen empathy for them and continue to aid in conservation efforts. So still a great candidate for revival. But less of a pet and more of a sanctuary animal.
Bringing back non avian Dinosaurs is impossible with modern technology as DNA degrades completely after a million years, so no need to worry about Tyrannosaurus.
@@leokoogle3055 There was an experiment of domesticating foxes. With intensive selective breeding, they were able to domesticate them in only 40 years. They only bred the foxes that responded to humans with curiosity, in oppose to the more common fear or aggression.
Suggestion: I'd like to know how an Emu ranks as a pet because my father in law had a flock of them in Wisconsin. Some got out, and were found to have broken into at an old, abandoned hotel. The cops called him to come get them, they had them cornered in to lobby... He managed to get all but one. It's still loose, possibly dead by now, but there are sometimes sightings. It's freaking hilarious!
We should start a movement to get the ostrich as the new mascot for Thanksgiving. I wonder how the ostrich tastes with stuffing? I wonder if the ostrich will even fit in oven? So much to do so much to consider
I had an ostrich burger many years ago and it was great.The meat is very red and expensive.
I worked on a kind of farm for a while and they had two emus on the property. They're beautiful creatures, it was cool and unnerving to stand next to one cause they are so reminiscent of dinosaurs, at least visually
I clicked this video for cassowaries but watched the whole thing for elephant birds! Yes, we should bring back at least those animals whose extinction is taking important plant species with them. (I'm glad avocados aren't among them, even though the larger mammals eating them have disappeared.) Also I want a moa. (Also passenger pigeons!)
I think moas and elephant birds should be revived again because it might actually help the planet more. Plus we can get to know an amazing reptile that most people have never seen before. I’m fascinated by birds, especially very colorful ones like the Himalayan monal pheasant for example.. But my favorite bird might be the Philippine eagle. It may not be a pheasant or a peacock with bright, iridescent wing color but when I look at it, I feel like it is the most beautiful bird in the world. I love the crest, the blue-grey eyes, the talons, and it’s so cool to know they are the largest eagles in the world… ❤
You can tell that this dude really loves this stuff. He's super happy and excited to tell us about it.
It really is Fascinating considering the fact that Jacqueline is in the process of reverse engineering. A chicken back into a dinosaur he was an inspiration for the movie Jurassic park!!! And SAM Neil. " ALAN GRANT " WAS BASED ON. " JACK HORNER " " THE DINO BIRD " WILL BE AROUND MABY WITH IN 10 YEARS. JACK HORNER HAS BOOKS AND DONE EPISODES ON TED TALKS AND LOTS OF OTHER SHOWS AND ALMOST ABLE TO COMPLETELY REVERSE ENGINEERING A CHICKEN BACK INTO A DINOSAUR!!!
Well he is a biologist
Best teachers have 😊love for their subjects. Here is a real teacher.
When I was New Zealand I got to see a kiwi bird. Its bigger than it looks AND it has the largest egg [egg to body ratio] of any bird. The egg literally looks like an adult fits in it, it was massive. 😮😮😮😂
This was one of your best videos!
My only experience with this subset of your videos was with an egg bound Emu that a friend who was raising Emu's had asked me to hold while he was trying to recover the egg. The job briefing was the explanation about how to avoid the claws AFTER the Emu had just missed my arms that were wrapped around it's chest that had raked a handful of feathers from it's chest that shot out in front of it ~ 6 feet! 'We' then decided that it might be a good idea to stop what 'we' were doing to gain a little better understanding of the risks involved!
Couple things... 1: had a friend that worked on an emu farm back in the 90s when there was that fad where people would start emu farms in california to make hamburgers out of them (and yes, emu are delicious). He said that emu are mean as heck and the closest thing he's ever met to spielberg's velociraptors.
Thing 2: funny that you mentioned the unextinction of mammoths as they already decided on the "should we", currently being incubated (i believe in a few elephants) are the firsr of the mammoths to be released in siberia later this year or possibly 2024. Apparently there is a niche involving vegetation that needs filling to help with climate change and the mammoths are perfect for that niche. (Someone was explaining the details as to why, but its 3 am right now and my brain's a bit foggy). The "will we, wont we" is almost certainly yes. Humans are far too curious a species to NOT genetically recreate moas and elephant birds, and dodos will likely be pets for my brother's grandkids (i have no kids and thus will not have grandkids. Kids make horrible pets. I'll just visit them at my brother's kid zoo.....er i mean house)
>currently being incubated
I don't think that's true. I searched pretty well and could find zero evidence that a mammoth fetus is currently being incubated. Do you have a citation for what you said above?
I grew up in Central Brazil in the 50s and 60s. We often saw emus running near the roads and in the bush. Unfortunately they were hunted for their meat. They have often been kept in pairs in people’s yards as guard birds and snake eaters. The presidential palace in Brasilia has several pairs to this day.
That's fascinating! As an Australian, I never knew they roamed freely in another country. They must have been shipped to Brazil sometime long ago. I'm surprised they're hunted for meat, and saddened. They are amazing birds and comical to look at when they "play". We don't really keep any of our native animals as pets because we prefer them in the wild. The only ones kept in captivity are because they can't be returned to the wild or were bred in captivity. They are good guards though. Noisy, curious and angry, when they want to be. I hope they continue to live in Brazil for a long time and aren't hunted out.
Emus dont live in Brazil, but Rheas do. The Portuguese word for Rhea is Ema, which is very confusing as it sounds like Emu.
The only reason an Emu would be in Brazil is if someone imported it there.
I was just reading about this family of birds yesterday, after Tyler Nolan posted about getting some Emu eggs. Go figure - the moa and Elephant Bird would be awesome to see even if just in captivity! ;)
I discovered clint's channel recently and im hooked.......i just enjoy your enthusiasm, and that keeps me coming back
1:49 Jeff Goldblum is such a weird guy ! Real different. The Fly ! Good show Clint Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
I know you do a lot more one off videos for general education now, but as a new Uromastyx owner I would love to see an exploration of the different kinds of Uromastyx out there. They are amazing pets and gaining popularity very quickly.
Clint I have some sad news, dodo birds would not make good pets, apparently the dodo was quite "bitey" as described by the sailors who found them. Though are are still equally adorable
Similar to the modern day qokka
Cockatoos are bitey too.
Or maybe they were bitey because they were wild birds, and sailors kept trying to catch them.
@@jennifersaar1611 indeed, but it was probably curiosity as dodos had a high brain to body weight ratio, and also had 0 fear of the first sailors
@@KhanArtist3 True enough, but if they were intelligent, they would have very quickly learned that humans were bad news. Especially after seeing other birds captured or killed. And the killing likely started as soon as the sailors were off the boat, because that is what hungry sailors who have been living on rations at sea would do.
OK Clint, you've gone and done it... I really, and I mean REALLY need a video on those "Demon Ducks" you mentioned. Sure I could research about them myself (I probably will to an extent) but I would much prefer to hear you speak on them, that would be far more enjoyable to me
I absolutely LOVE your channel!! Your knowledge base is, clearly, massive and you don't talk down to your viewers. You are also very engaging to watch and listen to. As to, "should we?", my answer is a hard NO. We can't stop eradicating the species we have now, why bring more that will, ultimately suffer the same fate?
Many of these birds are SEVERELY CUTE....running kiwis, blinking ostriches.....and have amazing names: demon ducks? Wow! I think im in love...
Thanks for the Tinamous information. They are only occasionally mentioned, but rarely described. Was there ever a significantly larger ancestor of the Kiwi? Stephen Gould suggested that as an argument for its large egg.
I love that he referenced the Emu War. More people need to know about that.
Cliff,
I realize that perhaps an area with the right coconuts, fairly large, might be a viable environment for the Elephant Birds, but
can we recreate them and what would be the host egg?
I can see the gleam in your eyes:)
Cheers,
Rik Spector
Lambs have been grown in artificial wombs, so I'm sure something could be arranged. Socialisation and appropriate behaviour might be much more problematic.
5:02 Look at that locomotion! It just occurred to me that the Ostrich seems to be able to freely walk/look for food with its head near the ground or up at it's full height without being disoriented. It's used to viewing the world 1 foot off the ground, 9 ft off the ground, and everything in between. Meanwhile when I go from driving a car to my grandpa's truck, it feels weird while driving down the road going from those two height extremes, and that isn't even close to truckers driving semis.