Gastornis: the Chocobo is real!

In Eocene Eurasia and North America, early in the Age of Mammals, was a giant flightless bird just like the Chocobo from Final Fantasy! Large and ostrich-like, but with a large head and thick neck, the birds were long thought to be carnivores. But there is no hook at the end of the beak, and scientists now know that Gastornis was primarily an herbivore.

The cool thing is, that Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, and Hayao Miyazaki, the great animator and creator of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, knew that they were herbivores long before the scientists did! There was evidence that they might be herbivores- by this time we knew that there was no hook at the tip of the beak- but until maybe 15, 20 years ago scientists still insisted that they were carnivores. Hironobu Sakaguchi knew they were herbivores back in the beginning of the 1990's, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind goes even further back! It reminds me of how it was science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke that came up with the idea of communications satellites.

Look up Gastornis and read all about it- there are great websites about prehistoric creatures. And don't forget to have fun!

Sincerely,

David S. Annderson