Maori Legend of Man-Eating Birds is True

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Maori Legend of Man-Eating Birds is True

Posted by samzenpus on Monday September 14, 2009 @03:58PM from the beautiful-plumage dept.

jerryatrix writes "Legends of the New Zealand Maori tell of giant man-eating birds. New scientific evidence proves that these birds did exist and were around the same time as humans in New Zealand. From the article, 'Scientists now think the stories handed down by word of mouth and depicted in rock drawings refer to Haast's eagle, a raptor that became extinct just 500 years ago.'"

32 of 338 comments (clear)

so... by brainstem · 2009-09-14 16:02 · Score: 5, Funny

So it wasn't the dingo, after all.
1. Re:so... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-14 16:09 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Of course not! Not any more -- did you see the size of those Dingo eating birds?
2. Re:so... by PC+and+Sony+Fanboy · 2009-09-14 16:21 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Actually there is no evidence that there was ever any land animals whatsoever in NZ except for lizards, insects and spiders. Unless you count flightless birds.
  So, aside from the sheep-eating lizards, poisonous insects, deadly spiders, and territorial (and vicious) birds... you'd be perfectly safe.
3. Re:so... by PC+and+Sony+Fanboy · 2009-09-14 16:22 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  we're not always at the top
  Sometimes it's nice not to be on top.
  
  You know, change it up a little.
  Keeps things fresh.
  Puts a little spice in things.
  
  Who am I kidding... *sigh*
4. Re:so... by Daimanta · 2009-09-14 20:02 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  "The actual news here is that they co-existed with the Maori"
  If by co-exist you mean EAT THEM, then yes, there was a lot of co-existence.
  
  --
  Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
5. Re:so... by SlashWombat · 2009-09-14 20:20 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Deadly spiders? New Zealand has no snakes and only one species of poisonous spider
  That's because the Maori's ate them all. Seriously, the bloody Maori's are the only native race to ever get a treaty from the vicious pommy bastard tribe!
6. Re:so... by Hognoxious · 2009-09-14 21:38 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  ..: a top predator sharing territory with a sufficiently dense human population is doomed.
  What have Texans got to do with it?
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
7. Re:so... by EatHam · 2009-09-14 23:20 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Thanks for ruining the joke, Captain Pedantic.
8. Re:so... by nazsco · 2009-09-15 02:23 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  because it'd evolved to be flightless like the birds.
  You mean 'was designed to'.
  
  --
  I don't mind the karma burn, just can't let a joke slip by
Still unanswered... by MiniMike · 2009-09-14 16:03 · Score: 1, Funny

No word on the part of the legend where they also had giant lasers...
1. Re:Still unanswered... by mindbrane · 2009-09-14 17:17 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  No lasers back then boy, then there was just good and evil. Real evil, the kind you could sell your soul to. God, demi gods, spirits, sprites, ghouls, and, of course, Old Nick himself. But, then came the great Schism.
  It started with just the most basic machines, toys really. They're were inspired by God because He'd taken it into His thought about His thought thinking about His thought that since He'd created the place, He was best seen as the Designer, an Intelligent Designer. The Devil argued God hadn't really designed anything at all, had just set things out then let things "Go to Hell", as the Devil put it. But God went on about Intelligent Design and how Man, in His image, should be an Intelligent Designer too. That's when it all started about the machines. The Devil can't stand infernal machines. It's his hearing, it's too acute. He has to be that way to hear even the slightest hint of malicious intent. He finally had enough and headed out with all the lesser spirits in attendance. The lesser spirits were spooked by the machines, called them unnatural.
  I was probably the last one to get a good deal on my soul. Soon after I cut my deal, the Devil just didn't make any more offers. His heart just wasn't in it anymore.
  God likes the way things have gone. His creations creating. Turning out machines intelligently designed, or nearly so. We haven't spoken in a while, but, when last we spoke He was big on the idea of the entire world as a giant Dyson sphere. I miss the old days when evil had some value.
  Regards
  A. Faustus
  it's past my bedtime, i'm over tired and am probably gonna be sorry i posted this, but what the hell.
  
  --
  ideopath @ play
2. Re:Still unanswered... by Thanshin · 2009-09-14 17:55 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  "After an unprecedented archeological effort, the last page of the original bible has finally been found. It contains just one sentence."
  
  it's past my bedtime, i'm over tired and am probably gonna be sorry i posted this, but what the hell.
3. Re:Still unanswered... by Whorhay · 2009-09-15 06:57 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Actually I was expecting it to say "We apologise for the inconvenience."
Damn. by FlyingSquidStudios · 2009-09-14 16:13 · Score: 3, Funny

The Maori didn't mess around with animals they didn't like. They killed off the Moa too.

--
http://twitter.com/OLDTELEGRAM
And now you know why LOTR was made in New Zealand by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-14 16:18 · Score: 5, Funny

The eagles are coming! The eagles are coming!
And you thought that was CG!
Let me break it down for you... by tcopeland · 2009-09-14 16:27 · Score: 2, Funny

Don't go into Power Dome A.

--
The Army reading list
Re:Glad these things are gone by Mr.+Roadkill · 2009-09-14 16:34 · Score: 5, Funny

Some species of Terror Bird would chase down their prey and literally peck it to death. They had an interesting feature about these things on Discovery last night; with this story it just seemed appropriate to mention it.
Polly wants a cracker. NOW. And a couple of llamas. And a six pack of assorted primates, starting with you.
Cool, but can we clone it? by Plazmid · 2009-09-14 16:36 · Score: 4, Funny

It became extinct fairly recently, why don't we clone it? Surely these things will make a great addition to the New Zealand Air Defense Force.
Yup.. by refactored · 2009-09-14 17:21 · Score: 5, Funny

AC said.. Last I checked we only had man eating birds, and the odd man eating Maori.
Yup,...it'd be a pretty Odd man that eats a Maori. Pretty tough buggers those. :-) A bit of a step up from Pit Bull I tell you!
1. Re:Yup.. by rve · 2009-09-14 18:47 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Yup,...it'd be a pretty Odd man that eats a Maori. Pretty tough buggers those.
  Tough? You're probably cooking them too fast. Have you tried preparing one sous-vide ?
2. Re:Yup.. by hey! · 2009-09-15 06:21 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Tough? You're probably cooking them too fast. Have you tried preparing one sous-vide ?
  Close. Slow cooked in a wet sand pit filled with hot rocks and covered with palm leaves is the regional cooking method. Kind of like a clam bake, without the clams.
  
  --
  Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Re:Okay. . . by aussie_a · 2009-09-14 17:25 · Score: 4, Funny

Pffft. We don't want New Zealand! Tasmanians are bad enough with all their in-breeding. If we allow the New Zealanders in we'll forever be associated with beastiality as well!
DNA? by Runaway1956 · 2009-09-14 17:42 · Score: 2, Funny

Is there any chance of getting some DNA, cloning a few of these dudes, so that we can set them loose in the cities? I can see the population problem slowly improving. I can see the gene pool improving, at the same time. This idea has promise.....

--
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
no evidence of land animals? by siloko · 2009-09-14 18:29 · Score: 3, Funny

So, aside from the sheep-eating lizards . . .
. . . well I'm hoping the sheep eating lizards found more than just evidence of 'land animals' else they would soon become 'fuck, where's the sheep?' lizards. Admittedly they sound dangerous too . . .
1. Re:no evidence of land animals? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-15 02:52 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Please refrain from using 'fuck' and 'sheep' in the same sentence when discussing NZ.
2. Re:no evidence of land animals? by ultramk · 2009-09-15 08:04 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Sorry, wrong URL. You're looking for http://www.adultsheepfinder.co.nz/
  
  --
  You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas
Re:NZ pacifist warrior culture by Hognoxious · 2009-09-14 21:46 · Score: 3, Funny

SAS looks like some kind of acronym. I wonder what the A stands for.

--
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Re:Begs the question... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-14 22:59 · Score: 1, Funny

By buggering things.
Re:New Zealand fauna by Scrameustache · 2009-09-14 23:58 · Score: 3, Funny

and wiped out many species of Weta Bugs.
So that's why their massive software runs so well!

--
You can't take the sky from me...
In Australia too! by clickety6 · 2009-09-15 00:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Australia also has plenty of man-eating birds only there they call them Sheilas...

--
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
Re:Kind of a shame... by Clever7Devil · 2009-09-15 00:46 · Score: 4, Funny

It would be cool if it was alive today...
Yeah... That would roc!!

--
"By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began to suspect 'Hungry.'" -Gary Larson
That's nothing by Richy_T · 2009-09-15 03:08 · Score: 2, Funny

I went to a fair once and saw a six foot man eating chicken.
True story.