Rare Elephant Bird Egg Sells For £66,600

A rare complete egg of the long extinct elephant bird has sold for more than double its estimate, fetching £66,675 at auction at Christie's.

The partly-fossilised egg is 30cm high and 21cm in diameter - more than 100 times the size of a chicken egg.

The elephant bird looked like a heavily-built ostrich and grew to well over three metres (11ft) in height.

The creature, possibly the largest bird ever, is believed to have been hunted to extinction between the 14th and 17th centuries in Madagascar.

Although fragments can be found on the island, intact specimens are extremely rare.

The egg - which had been valued at £20-£30,000 prior to sale - was one of the most celebrated lots at Christie's Travel, Science and Natural History sale in London.

The sale figure includes the buyer's premium.