Elephant bird "A. maximus" and "D. stirtoni" were revised to 540 and 730 kg, respectively. Four species are usually accepted in the genus "Aepyornis" today, but the validity of some is disputed, with numerous authors treating them all in just one species, "A. maximus". Up to three species are generally included in "Mullerornis". Several ratites outside of Madagascar have been posited as "aepyornithid"-like and could potentially make this clade considerably more speciose. These include "Eremopezus" from the Eocene of North Africa, unnamed Canary Island remains and several Neogene taxa in Eurasia. "Aepyornis maximus" is commonly known as the 'elephant bird', a term
Seeing the elephant writes that the popularity of the phrase came from Coney Island which used the elephant as a mascot throughout the Gilded Age. "So famous was this massive monument [the Elephant Hotel] that for a generation, "seeing the elephant" signified a quest for satisfactions in disreputable quarters." Earthly delights are not the only reason the elephant craze existed considering its many earlier origins. More likely the elephant Americanism gained steam and then was used as a catchy draw for brothels, saloons or businesses. There were several old west saloons that had 'elephant' in the title, including the famous White Elephant Saloons.