Elephant Bird Egg 'Model' Turns Out to Be the Real Thing

An elephant bird egg labeled a model for decades at the Buffalo Museum of Science was found to be real when the museum updated its catalog system. 

Zoology Collections Manager Paige Langle realized the rare egg from an extinct species could be real when she lifted it out of the case.

“I opened the case and I gently picked up the egg and immediately could feel the difference and I could see the difference and the way the pitting is and the coloration. It was just this moment of oh my goodness . . . I think it’s real,” Langle said, WGRZ reported. 

She shared her observations with other museum staff and the museum had the egg radiographed, which confirmed that the 12-by-28-inch, 3.5-pound specimen was real, WGRZ reported. It even had “specs of white” that indicated that it might have been fertilized. 

According to museum records, a previous curator bought the fossilized egg from a London taxidermist for $92 in 1939, the Buffalo News reported. It originally came from Madagascar where elephant birds lived until they went extinct in the 17th century.

"Lost, hidden or misidentified artifacts and specimens are not uncommon in museums that have been collecting for centuries," museum Director Kathryn Leacock said, the Buffalo News reported. "The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences has been collecting since 1861, and as we continue to care for the collection, there is always more to learn and discover." 

The Buffalo museum has more than 1,000 eggs in its collection of over 700,000 items total. It plans to display the newly discovered elephant egg in its Rethink Extinct gallery starting May 1, the Buffalo News reported. 

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