A
mythological bird which was believed to live in the
area of the
Indian Ocean. Its name is sometimes spelled "
rukh".
According to "
The Thousand Nights and a Night," the roc was so
large and
powerful that it could
carry a full-grown
elephant or
rhinoceros in each
claw. A person's weight was so
negligible that the roc wouldn't even notice if someone
hitched along for a ride. The roc's
egg was so
colossal that it could be mistaken for a
domed building made of
ivory or
alabaster.
Marco Polo claimed that the roc was native to
Madagascar, but that's an awfully small
island for such an awfully
big bird.