Scientists Find Evidence Of Oversized Eagles With 10-Foot Wingspan In Australia, Like The Ones From 'Lord Of The Rings', Cue Funny Comments and Cool Facts

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 29, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

A new species of extinct eagle has been confirmed in Australia recently, Gaff's powerful eagle (Dynatoaetus gaffae). It has a supposed 10-foot wingspan and used to prey on the megafauna (fancy words for big animals) of Australia over 60,000 years ago. Researchers knew about the presence of Gaff's powerful eagle for years, but they never had a full skeleton until recently, when the missing piece of the puzzle was unearthed in Australia in 2021. 

If you're anything like us, you love 'Lord Of The Rings', so the idea of a giant eagle actually existing is pretty darn cool. They were apparently very strong, enough to carry large animals in their 12-inch talons (around 30 centimeters!). So, basically, what the researchers are saying is that, technically, they would be strong enough to carry the Hobbits from Mordor to the Shire. We're not ruling it out. Anyway, this story is pretty cool and if you're a LOTR fan, you'll appreciate some of the comments below. Fly, you fools!

If you're interested, you can read the whole article here!

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  • 01
    Sky - HISTORY Scientists Discover Extinct 'Lord Of The Rings' Eagles With A 10-Foot Wingspan – Large Enough To Carry A Hobbit
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 02
    Font - all_thats_interesting "It could definitely grab onto a kangaroo and sink its claws in until it stopped struggling."
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey

    It's hard to imagine a bird big enough to pick up and hunt a kangaroo. Have you seen one in real life? They're practically human-sized. Sure, some of them are smaller, but some are really big guys. That's one big bird!

  • 03
    Font - Researchers examining a collection of prehistoric fossils just identified a massive new species of extinct eagle. Gaff's powerful eagle lived around 60,000 years ago in Australia and had a massive 10-foot wingspan and 12-inch talons, making it the continent's largest bird of prey on record. In fact, it was so large it likely preyed on the juveniles of megafauna like flightless birds and giant kangaroos that lived during the time. Learn more about these
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey

    Wait, wait, wait, now you're telling us that there were giant kangaroos too? We would not like to have been alive 60,000 years ago. Everything must have been so much bigger and we'd just be there like…..fire?

  • 04
    Font - nicholasgoring Maybe they can carry a ring all the way to the mountain in Mordor and chuck it in the fire, just an idea saves us watching the 3 films!!
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 05
    Font - tonio301 Keep your hobbits indoors
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 06
    Font - corvid_americanna_ THEYRE TAKING THE HOBBITS TO ISENGARD
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 07
    Font - Australia Was Once Home To Massive Eagles With A 10-Foot Wingspan And Enough Strength - To Carry A Kangaroo
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 08

    The newly discovered eagle species was nearly double the size of the wedge-tailed eagle pictured here.

    Sky
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey, Wikimedia Commons
  • 09
    Font - Fossils uncovered in Australia paint a picture of the continent's largest known bird of prey, the Gaff's powerful eagle.
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey
  • 10

    A giant Philippine eagle, with traits similar to those of the extinct Gaff’s powerful eagle.

    Bird
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey, Wikimedia Commons
  • 11

    An illustration of the skeletal model of Dynatoaetus gaffae.

    Leg - 隆
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey, Flinders University
  • 12
    Font - Australia was once home to a litany of giant creatures including massive flightless birds, giant kangaroos, hulking monitor lizards, and other marsupials resembling modern bears. Dynatoaetus would have easily been able to feed on the juveniles of these gigantic creatures, around the size of modern kangaroos. "It had giant talons, spreading up to 30 centimeters (just under 12 inches), which easily would have been able to dispatch a juvenile giant kangaroo, large flightless bird or other sp
    via all_thats_interesting, Austin Harvey

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cool hilarious facts eagles birds Lord of the Rings australia interesting extinction lol extinct amazing science funny animals
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