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  1. #1

    Coolest De-Extinction Candidate

    Haast's eagle was a species of giant eagle with a 8-9ft (2-3 meter) wingspan that went extinct in New Zealand around the year 1400. Like with a lot of island fauna (.i.e. dodo, elephant bird, moa) it's extinction was propogated by human settlers, Polynesians that hunted their primary prey—the moa—to extinction and probably hunted them as well.



    Assuming we ever can viable DNA samples, I think it would be great for some scientists to clone or genetically reconstruct them alongside moas. They would definitely help reduce the deer and boar populations on the islands.

    Besides...who wouldn't want to see a giant ass eagle flying through the skies of Middle Earth?
    Last edited by Techno-Druid; 2018-04-17 at 04:11 AM.

  2. #2
    The Insane Masark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Atethecat View Post
    Besides...who wouldn't want to see a giant ass eagle flying through the skies of Middle Earth?
    Most Americans, presumably. It would make your mascot seem inferior.

    Warning : Above post may contain snark and/or sarcasm. Try reparsing with the /s argument before replying.
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    Old God endersblade's Avatar
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    Yes. And then laugh at the massive QQ when they start carrying off children and the subsequent hunt to exterminate them yet again. Because humans.
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  4. #4
    I bet they still won't carry the Fellowship to Mordor

    (yes I know the reasons that they didn't don't @ me)

  5. #5
    That thing looks like it could fly off with adults.

  6. #6
    Mechagnome
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    As a NZer I'd love to see the moa and Haast's brought back
    Ily mmoc

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Masark View Post
    Most Americans, presumably. It would make your mascot seem inferior.
    If it's big enough to be picked up on radar, we will shoot it down.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Talsar View Post
    *woman gets raped*
    Righty: "You shouldn't have dressed like a slut then."

    *man gets mugged for wearing a maga hat*
    Righty: "Disgusting. People should be allowed to wear what they want without fear of violence."
    Just quoting so everyone knows how badly you missed what thread you are posting in.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by endersblade View Post
    Yes. And then laugh at the massive QQ when they start carrying off children and the subsequent hunt to exterminate them yet again. Because humans.
    I imagine they could be conditioned to mostly avoid humans, as most large birds of prey usually do.

  9. #9
    Mechagnome
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    Quote Originally Posted by McFuu View Post
    If it's big enough to be picked up on radar, we will shoot it down.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Just quoting so everyone knows how badly you missed what thread you are posting in.
    NOOOOOO I thought i fixt in time curse you!
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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Talsar View Post
    NOOOOOO I thought i fixt in time curse you!
    There is no way I'm letting it go. Mainly because I was really excited to see how you were going to roll rape into this discussion, only to be let down.

  11. #11
    Dreadlord Seiklis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Talsar View Post
    As a NZer I'd love to see the moa and Haast's brought back
    It's all about the Laughing Owl (whēkau)

  12. #12
    None of them, they're losers who lost out to superior organisms. Adapt or die.
    .

    "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

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  13. #13
    Dreadlord Enfilade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Masark View Post
    Most Americans, presumably. It would make your mascot seem inferior.
    Congrats, MMO-C. We made it just one post before the anti-American sentiment reared its ugly head.

    On topic: A mammoth would be incredible to see in person.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Seiklis View Post
    It's all about the Laughing Owl (whēkau)
    Man we've lost so many interesting bird species. Moa, haast's, adzebills, elephant birds, great auks, moa-nalos, those giant flightless owls in Cuba and who could forget...the dodo.

    #FeelsBadMan

    Quote Originally Posted by Enfilade View Post
    On topic: A mammoth would be incredible to see in person.
    Imagine being in somewhere in Siberia or Alaska or even the Yukon, hiding out behind a rock with binoculars in a thick winter coat as a herd of mammoths, a mother with her calf, cross the snow-covered grass or seeing a lone bull knocking down a ice-capped tree.

    Pretty damn majestic to visualize.
    Last edited by Techno-Druid; 2018-04-17 at 03:56 AM.

  15. #15
    The Lightbringer
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    Sure let’s resurrect a species that could seriously maim or kill us. Shall we bring back megaldons or giant mosquitos too?
    These things appear to be the biggest birds that can fly

  16. #16
    Stood in the Fire
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    On the one hand, species and genetic diversity are cool...

    On the other hand, they DID die out and lost the Darwin Olympics (not to be confused with the Darwin Awards.)

    On the third hand (hey, we're talking evolution here!), HOW HAVE WE NOT LEARNED FROM JURASSIC PARK?! People STILL want to revive giant killing machines? They're not called birds of prey because they're peaceful, devout followers of a religion. (That pray is spelled differently.

    .

    EDIT:
    Quote Originally Posted by Enfilade View Post
    Congrats, MMO-C. We made it just one post before the anti-American sentiment reared its ugly head.

    On topic: A mammoth would be incredible to see in person.
    Okay, this I could get behind. It's basically an elephant (which is probably how we would revive the species), so...that's probably cool, I guess. Though I wonder how many people put much thought into what would entail actually reviving an extinct species. The first dozen generations would need to live in captivity, otherwise they'd probably re-extinctify themselves rather quickly, and you're talking a lot of resources on the genetics, the rearing of the babies, the hit or miss love connection attempts at getting their dating lives off the ground (one thing I learned from trying to breed Pokemon - the ones you WANT to mate seem to hate each other for some reason...), and the expense of having preserves for them.

    Moreover, for FLYING things, you basically need an aviary, otherwise they'd just...well...fly the coup, so to speak, and, again, likely re-extinctify themselves rather quickly (if they didn't travel together, they wouldn't have any partners to even mate with, so even if they died of old age, they wouldn't reproduce.)

    But yeah, Mammoths would be boss.
    Last edited by Renathras; 2018-04-17 at 03:55 AM.

  17. #17
    Herald of the Titans D Luniz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rustedsaint View Post
    Sure let’s resurrect a species that could seriously maim or kill us. Shall we bring back megaldons or giant mosquitos too?
    These things appear to be the biggest birds that can fly
    I think Id be ok with giant mosquitos if we got rid of the small ones
    think about it, it would be to big to get through screens, cats and dogs would hunt IT for fun

  18. #18
    Epic!
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    While it's sad and potentially very damaging to an ecosystem when any animal becomes extinct primarily due to human causes, the reintroduction of an apex predator like this one roughly 600 years later is almost certainly a recipe for disaster. At this point, centuries after its extinction, a reincarnated Haast's eagle is a foreign predator regardless where it's introduced, even if it's returned to its original habitat. It doesn't belong there anymore. It doesn't belong anywhere anymore.

    Quote Originally Posted by Atethecat View Post
    They would definitely help reduce the deer and boar populations on the islands.
    The track record for introducing foreign predators to combat perceived ecological imbalances has been an almost complete failure. We're seriously far, far better off simply issuing additional hunting licenses for deer and wild boars than trying to take a Jurassic Park approach to the problem.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Kaeth View Post
    While it's sad and potentially very damaging to an ecosystem when any animal becomes extinct primarily due to human causes, the reintroduction of an apex predator like this one roughly 600 years later is almost certainly a recipe for disaster. At this point, centuries after its extinction, a reincarnated Haast's eagle is a foreign predator regardless where it's introduced, even if it's returned to its original habitat. It doesn't belong there anymore. It doesn't belong anywhere anymore.
    10,000 is barely an evolutionary blink of an eye, much less a measly size centuries. Quiet literally every endemic species in NZ co-evolved with these eagles and anything foreign that would bear the blunt of its influence (say deer) doesn't belong in that ecosystem to begin with.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by endersblade View Post
    Yes. And then laugh at the massive QQ when they start carrying off children and the subsequent hunt to exterminate them yet again. Because humans.
    I'm 32, and I'm pretty sure it could pick me up.

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