Spending $45,000 on a single egg sounds like a cracked idea -- unless it's the largest egg in existence.
The supersized egg is 12 inches by 8 inches and belongs to the Elephant Bird, a giant bird that lived on Madagascar before going extinct sometime between the 13th and 17th centuries, KXAN-TV reported.
The completely fossilized egg, discovered by archeologists in the late 1800s or early 1900s, is being put upfor auction on April 24 by Christie's Auction House. It's been appraised at $45,000, but experts say it could sell for even more than that.
"It's very rare to find one that's complete. To see one in such perfect condition is a real treat," James Hyslop, a Scientific Specialist at Christie's, said according to the Independent.
The Elephant Bird stood up to 11 feet high and resembled a heavily-built ostrich. Its egg is 120 times bigger than a chicken egg.
"In fact, the egg is the largest egg ever laid by any animal. They are bigger than dinosaur eggs," Hyslop said, according to
WFAB-TV.
For the record, the largest egg laid by a living bird weighed in five pounds and 11.35 ounces, according to Guinness. That egg was laid by an ostrich on a farm in Borlänge, Sweden in May 2008.
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