When Birds Stopped Flying

The video explores the evolution and distribution of ratites, a group of flightless birds, across the world. Initially, the Mozark hypothesis suggested that these birds were flightless due to continental drift. However, new DNA research revealed that ratites likely flew to different continents and independently lost flight multiple times. The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs opened ecological niches, allowing ratites to thrive. Human hunting led to the extinction of some species like the moa and elephant bird. The video concludes with speculation on the future of flightless birds.

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