Enormous Goose Found in Australia

msnbc | 8-18-02 | crystalk

[crystalk]

Fossils of an extinct goose which must have weighed from 500 to 1000 pounds have been found near Utopia, Australia, and it is thought this bird may have lived as recently as 50,000 years ago, well after humans may have arrived on that dark continent.

This is a very large bird, says paleontolist Peter Murray. But it is very clear that they ARE geese. They are probably related to the Magpie goose of Australia and the Screamer of South America.

Eight species of these megageese have now been identified, and it is felt that early Aborigines would have had difficulty making a Christmas dinner upon one, for they were fast runners, and are thought likely to have kicked a human attacker "into orbit" he said.

"And, like all geese, they would have been quite aggressive. You would have been wise to steer clear."

[crystalk]

This shows that Australia was goosed long before it was peopled, but the bird's extinction at 50M BP does strongly suggest that humans fed upon it no matter what Murray says.

No doubt that is what led to its extinction at just that time.

What I am thinking of is, could it maybe be cloned back in France as a source of pate de foie gras?

[martin_fierro]

AUSTRALIAN FOR GOOSE, MATE

<|:)~

[crystalk]

ping

[Savage Beast]

I'll bet a flock of those megageese would make intruders think twice about breaking into the distilleries.

[blam]

Thanks for the ping.

[bert]

I think that foie gras originated in Australia and the technology exported to France. The aussies need some support for things they developed by now lost populations and and sent to Europe.

[jennyp]

SLAP!

[martin_fierro]

< whimper >

<|:)~

[Dakmar]

I'd sure hate to wash my car after that thing flew over.

[crystalk]

It was stated to be flightless, but it might have honked as it ran by.

[Red Jones]

please tell me, where did you learn to quote a date as 50,000 BP, and what does it mean?

[arthurus]

BP means "Ago."

[Liz]

Oh darn, I thought this was a Clinton thread........

[jwfiv]

Sounds like we'd need one helluva big tin horn fer them mega-geese.

Grouchy critters, they are.

[crystalk]

Before Present. Quite routine in academic circles, or if you read National Geographic or Discovery mag or channel.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...found near Utopia, Australia...

This story sounds untrue. I doubt there'd be a connection between this flightless bird and the magpie goose. Plus, there's no locale in Australia known as 'Utopia'; not with a postcode, anyway. Regards, By.

[boris]

I thought it might be moose.

[JudyB1938]

I found a mention of it online ...

http://www.usembassyjakarta.org/jakarts.html

The Embassy is also sponsoring an exhibition of modern batik called "Segaragunung". These batiks are the result of a collaboration between Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo, traditional batik artists from Yogyakarta, and aboriginal Australian women from the desert community of Utopia, Australia.

[ASDFGHJK]

[JohnLoyRocker]

I wish I had a web site so I could post a Homer Simpson "UMM BEER" voice saying "UMM GOOSE".

Tastes Great, Less Filling!