Humans universally create stories of supernatural animals, from evil monsters to religious figures. Most of the time these creatures stem from misidentified animals they live beside, or mere figmants of our ancestors’ vivid imaginations. Though some of these creatures bear stricking resemblances to animals that have long been extinct, animals that many of our distant ancestors lived alongside. These ancestors had culture, religion, and folklore just as we do today, and there’s no doubt they would have incorporated their experiences with these ancient animals into their traditions. Could it be though, that the accounts of these extinct animals survived over thousands of years, passed down from generation to generation, to be shared in the present?
Unfortunately, the scientist in me has to raise some alarm bells. In reality, cultural memories are often extremely faulty or entirely inaccurate, any sense of true historiocity having been lost generations ago as oral traditions shift, language evolves, morals fluctuate, and details are added and removed. But there may be exceptions, where a grain of truth can still be parsed from these folktales, what I would describe as an “memetic fossil”, preserving a piece of real lived experience our ancestors inserted into their traditions. And against all odds, survived to the modern day for us to “unearth” and examine.
With this context in mind, let’s examine some likely, and not-so likely, examples of cultural memory in the context of extinct animals.
The “Thunderbird” – Teratornis:
New-world vultures today are relegated to just a few species, including the giant condors that are some of the largest birds alive today. But in the past, there were various species that became some of the largest birds to ever live. Teratornis was one of these vultures, with a wingspan of up to 14ft it was one of the most common scavengers of Pleistocene North America. Another close species, Aiolornis, had a wingspan of up to 18 feet! These giants soared over western America and would have been encountered by the Paleo-Indians for thousands of years. Many have suggested that the legend of the Thunderbird may have originated from sitings and encounters with these animals, incorporating them into their mythologies. In traditional religion, the Thunderbird is often a revered storm spirit, credited with creating thunder and lightning. We know modern condors rely on wind currents to soar, this would have been even more true for their larger relatives. I personally suspect that ancient peoples saw these giants as they were caught in a storms’ prevailing winds, and thus were associated with the storms. Some also suspect the much larger Argentavis could be associated with these legends, but given that species disappeared around 6 mya, this connection is untenable.
The “Siberian Unicorn” – Elasmotherium:
Elasmotherium was a distant relative of the rhinoceros that lived in Central Asia. The size of a small elephant and with a horn up to 8 feet long, this formidable creature would have been able to rival even mammoths. Interestingly enough, it had relatively long limbs when compared to true rhinos, giving it a horse-like gait. An Ottoman traveler in the 10th century recorded an account from locals in the steppe of a legend of a large beast with a single horn “in the middle of its head” which rose far into a point. This matches cave art thought to depict the Elasmothere. It was said that if a horseman was unlucky enough to encounter one, it would chase them down and heave them from their horse with its massive horn, killing the man and leaving the horse untouched. The last Elasmothere died roughly 30k years ago, far before horses were domesticated, but perhaps an isolated population managed to survive and interact with early horsemen who passed along their tales? Admittedly this one is highly unlikely, but one of the more fascinating examples.
The “Pouākai” – Haast Eagle:
The Haast Eagle, native to New Zealand, was the largest species of eagle to ever live. It went extinct only 600 years ago, only a few centuries after the colonization of the island by humans. The Maori have a story of a giant monstrous bird called the Pouākai which preyed on humans. The Haast Eagle, with its 8 to 10 foot wingspan, preyed on Moa, some of the largest birds to ever live. They would have easily been able to dive onto a human for an easy meal. There is a tale on how the Pouākai was captured, perhaps a legend passed down to instruct young men how to kill troublesome Haast Eagles. The story goes that a man is to stand in an open field where one of these eagles is known to attack. Meanwhile, a small group of men are to hide behind an outcrop or ditch between the man and the known location of the eagle. Once the eagle is coaxed to dive after the lone man, the others throw a net up from their hiding spot, ensnaring the giant bird! The Maori also have oral traditions about the Moa, both how it was hunted and how it would trample men beneath its feet.
The “Baku” – Giant Tapir:
The Baku is a mythological Japanese creature with cultural origins from China dating as back as the 3rd century BC. The Baku is said to eat the nightmares of its victims, and has been adapted into similar roles throughout Southeast Asian cultures. Reminds you of a certain Pokémon doesn’t it? The likely inspiration for this creature is the Malayan Tapir, with chimeric elements added over the centuries. Yet there was once a species of tapir that was prevalent in China, the Giant Tapir, which went extinct around 12k years ago. Some have speculated the ancient Chinese folk traditions kept the memory of this animal alive, or perhaps even small relic populations of the animal survive in rural mountainous regions of China. It is of course more likely that stories of the Malayan Tapir made it to China and was adapted into their myths. A fun thought regardless.
The “Mihirung Paringmal” – Genyornis:
The Tjapwurung people of Australia have a story of a giant bird which survived as recently as when the volcanoes in the area last erupted, which if believed was around 3000 BC. They were described as tall, with heads “as high as the hills”, feared for their “vicious kicks”. The species Genyornis and Dromonis were the last surviving members of the Dromornithid clade, large flightless birds which lived in Australia, distant relatives of ducks and specializing in eating fruits and nuts. They went extinct roughly 40k years ago, but some cave art dating to only 14k years ago are speculated to depict these animals.
(this claim is debated)
The “Whowie” – Megalania:
Staying in Australia, the Whowie of aborignal folklore was a giant lizard which was over 20 feet long and devoured humans. The story of the Mungoon-Gali is also very similar, a giant lizard which hunted people and had a venomous bite, a tale also share by Australian natives. Many have tied these stories to Megalania, one of the most well known animals of ancient Australia, was a huge relative of the Komodo Dragon, and lived similar lives as apex ambush predators. While their size is often overestimated, realistically they could reach lengths approaching 20 feet or more (though it should be noted a good deal of that length is their tail). Still, like their modern relatives, they were capable of killing and consuming humans. They likely shared the bacteria-riddled saliva Komodo Dragons have, used to induce toxic infections in their prey. Of course these legends could be just as easily be attributed to Komodo Dragons, it isn’t unreasonable to believe that particularly large and veracious individuals could have spawned these stories as well.
The “Ebu Gogo” – Homo floresiensis:
One of the most intriguing case is that of the Ebu Gogo of the island of Flores. Local legends share the tale of small men who lived in the highlands, venturing down to steal food from villages. They were said to have been covered in fur, with broad faces, and spoke in a sort of murmuring language. Some stories even share that they could parrot words when spoken to. Flores was once home to Homo floresiensis, a species of early hominid which possibly underwent island dwarfism. The origins of this species is uncertain, as it could have been descended from early-Homo, but some contest this species descended from a much earlier branch of Australopithecine which inhabited Indonesia. As later migrations of early-Homo entered the region, Australopiths would have been outcompeted and hybridized into the population, but a few isolated groups on Flores and Luzon survived as relic populations. Their extinction has been dated to around 50k years ago, right around the time the first modern humans colonized the island. Which makes the chance of this being a genuine cultural memory highly unlikely. Instead, these legends could be associated with monkeys just as easily. There are also folktales of the Orang Pendek, a mythical bipedal ape that lives on mountains, a story shared throughout Indonesia and South East Asia. This story could have been inherited or brought over to the people of Flores. If we suspend our disbelief, and make the assumption that the first people of Flores lived alongside floresiensis for a few hundred or thousand years, is it not unreasonable to assume this interaction with a sentient species would have left a lasting impression on them and their culture? A thought that is not too unlikely, in my opinion.
Closing Thoughts:
Again, a word of caution when interpreting these stories. Humans are extremely imaginative. With hundreds of cultures all creating myths and legends, religious and moral stories, and routinely misidentifying animals, it is highly likely that people around the world would entirely fabricate imaginary creatures that just-so-happen to resemble extinct species. As a scientist, I would never say any of these connections are “fact”, but I personally hold some of these examples to be more likely than not. Still, assuming like me you hold some of these tales to be true memories from our ancient past, it is a comforting thought that we are sharing in an oral tradition that has its roots in the ancient past. People saw these animals with their own two eyes, they heard them, fled from them, killed them. I count myself lucky to have a small piece of that lived experience with us today.
