Cygnus falconeri
| Giant swan Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of Cygnus falconeri with Palaeoloxodon falconeri and a human for scale | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Cygnus |
| Species: | C. falconeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Cygnus falconeri Parker, 1865 | |
Cygnus falconeri, the giant swan, (Maltese: Ċinju ġgant) is an extinct, very large swan known from Middle Pleistocene-aged deposits from Malta and Sicily. Its dimensions are described as exceeding those of the living mute swan by one-third, which would give a bill-to-tail length of about 190–210 cm (75–83 in) (based on 145–160 cm for C. olor). By comparison to the bones of living swans, it can be estimated that it weighed around 16 kg (35 lb) and had a wingspan of about 3 m (9.8 ft). It would have been taller, though not heavier, than the region's dwarf elephants. Due to its size, it may have been flightless. It became extinct before the increase in human activity in the region (see Holocene extinction event), so its disappearance is thought to have resulted from extreme climate fluctuations or the arrival of predators and superior competitors. Its bones are exhibited at Għar Dalam museum in Birżebbuġa, Malta.