Prehistoric humans are under suspicion of wiping out the largest birds that ever lived after fossilised bones were discovered with telltale cut marks.
According to scientists, it's evidence that the elephant birds of Madagascar were hunted and butchered for food.
The remains have been dated to about 10,000 years ago.
Until now, the first settlers were thought to have arrived on the island about 2,500 to 4,000 years ago.
"This does push back the date of human arrival by 6,000 years, at least," says Dr James Hansford, a scientist at Zoological Society London, UK.
As well as raising questions about human history, the discovery suggests a "radically different extinction theory" is required to understand the loss of the island's unique fauna.