Orissa museum preserves Madagascar bird egg

The Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) here has earned the unique distinction of preserving an egg of the extinct Madagascar Elephant bird. "The egg, said to be the biggest in the world, is 13 inches long and 9.5 inches wide," said RMNH director R Ray.

He said the existence of the Madagascar Elephant bird, which was 10 feet tall and weighed nearly 445 kg, had last been recorded in 1650 AD.

The egg was on display at the museum after the opening of an exclusive gallery on Madagascar and Africa.

Interestingly, the 'biggest' egg was not procured from any government or private agency, Ray said. "It was donated by Abasar Beuria, a former Indian ambassador to Madagascar."

Speaking to reporters at the inauguration of the gallery today, Beuria said he had collected the egg during his stay at Madagascar and preferred to make the precious possession public so that many people could see it.

"One can think of the size of the bird which laid such a huge egg," the former diplomat said, adding that he had also donated specimen like butterflies, insects, moth, beetles and scorpions and other items.

Among several items, the museum also preserved the world's longest living flowering plant, baobob (adansonia digita), which lives up to 5,100 years.

The museum had opened another gallery showcasing a collection of reptiles and amphibians developed with the help of Prof S K Dutta, head of department of Zoology in North-Orissa University.