For a time, humans may have been on the menu for giant, killer eagles that soared over New Zealand, Australia, and Africa. <\/p>
These birds of prey were so feared by our ancestors that they inspired myths and legends still told today\u2026<\/strong><\/p> The largest eagle ever was Haast\u2019s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei<\/em>), an extinct raptor that cast terror-inducing shadows over New Zealand\u2019s South Island up until its extinction in 1445. This 18kg monster weighed twice as much as the extant harpy eagle, today\u2019s heaviest eagle, and had a wingspan that measured almost 3m.<\/p> While Haast\u2019s eagle may have been the largest eagle to ever live, it isn\u2019t the only airborne super predator known from Oceania.<\/p> The recently described\u00a0Dynatoaetus gaffae,\u00a0<\/em>or Gaff\u2019s powerful eagle, weighed up to 12kg, had a similarly large wingspan and, potentially, even longer talons. On the other side of the world, in present-day Cuba<\/a>, another now-extinct >10kg eagle known as Gigantohierax<\/em> \u00a0lived for several thousand years, hunting sloths<\/a> and giant rats.<\/p> As the largest and deadliest predator on New Zealand\u2019s South Island, Haast\u2019s eagle had its pick of prey. This included ducks, swans, geese, and large, flightless birds<\/a> known as Moas. At 200kg, these birds were more than ten times the weight of Haast\u2019s eagle, yet they proved no match for its dagger-sharp talons and curved beak.<\/p> From remains of Haast\u2019s eagle, as well as historic M\u0101ori cave art, researchers are pretty sure they were pale-headed. This has led researchers to hypothesise that they fed by plunging their heads deep into the body cavities of their prey,\u00a0disembowelling\u00a0them as they sought out nutritious organs – just like a lot of vultures<\/a> do today.\u00a0<\/p> It\u2019s widely considered that Haast\u2019s eagle inspired the infamous pou\u0101kai of M\u0101ori mythology, a monstrous bird that would sometimes kill and eat humans. While researchers believe Haast\u2019s eagle was large enough to do so, there\u2019s no evidence of them actually preying on humans.<\/p> What we do have evidence of, however, is the M\u0101ori hunting moa to extinction. These endemic, flightless birds were the favoured prey of Haast\u2019s eagle and after they faced extinction in the early 1400s, just over a century after New Zealand was discovered and settled by Polynesians, Haast\u2019s eagle soon followed suit.<\/p> While there are lots of documented cases of harpy eagles<\/a> snatching monkeys out of trees, there\u2019s no evidence of them or any of their similarly large relatives hunting and killing humans.<\/p> What was the largest and deadliest eagle that ever lived?<\/strong><\/h2>
What did Haast\u2019s eagle eat?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Where do the myths of Haast\u2019s eagle hunting humans come from?<\/strong><\/h2>
Are there any eagles alive today capable of hunting humans?<\/strong><\/h2>