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This article is about the extinct New Zealand birds known as moa. For other uses, see Moa (disambiguation).
Moa
Moa attacked by a Haast's Eagle
Moa attacked by a Haast's Eagle
Conservation status
Extinct
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Superorder: Paleognathae
Order: Struthioniformes
Family: †Dinornithidae
Bonaparte, 1853
Genera

†Anomalopteryx (bush moa)
†Euryapteryx
†Megalapteryx (upland moa)
†Dinornis (giant moa)
†Emeus
†Pachyornis

The Moa[1] were several species of flightless birds native to New Zealand. Haast's Eagle ( Harpagornis moorei) was a massive now extinct Eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The Paleognathae or paleognaths ("old jaws" are one of the two living Superorders of Birds The other living superorder is Neognathae A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct Charles Lucien (Carlo Jules Laurent Bonaparte 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano ( May 24, 1803 &ndash July 29, 1857) was a French Year 1853 ( MDCCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Anomalopteryx didiformis is an extinct bird genus known colloquially as the Lesser or Bush Moa. The giant moa ( Dinornis) is an extinct genus of Ratite birds belonging to the Moa family The Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus, is an extinct species of Moa. Pachyornis is an Extinct Genus of Ratites from New Zealand which belonged to the Moa family Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The largest species, the giant moa (Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae), reached about 3. The giant moa ( Dinornis) is an extinct genus of Ratite birds belonging to the Moa family 6 m (12 ft) in height and weighed about 250 kg (550 lb). The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass

Members of the order Struthioniformes (or ratites), the fifteen species are unique in lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct They were the dominant herbivores in the New Zealand forest ecosystem for thousands of years; and until the arrival of the Māori, were hunted only by the Haast's Eagle. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. Haast's Eagle ( Harpagornis moorei) was a massive now extinct Eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. All species are generally believed to have become extinct by 1500 AD, mainly due to hunting by Māori. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation.

Contents

Taxonomy

Reconstruction of two moa species, Otago Museum, Dunedin. Otago Museum holds the world's largest collection of moa remains.
Reconstruction of two moa species, Otago Museum, Dunedin. The Otago Museum is situated in Dunedin, New Zealand It is Otago's largest cultural and heritage institution with a collection of over two million artefacts and specimens Dunedin (dəˈneɪdɪn) Ōtepoti in Maori is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago Museum holds the world's largest collection of moa remains.
Dinornis spp., giant moa from The New Gresham Encyclopedia
Dinornis spp. , giant moa from The New Gresham Encyclopedia

The kiwi were once regarded as the closest relatives of the moa, but comparisons of their DNA suggest they are more closely related to the Australian emu and cassowary. KIWI (1029 FM, "Radio Lobo" is a commercial Radio station located in McFarland California, broadcasting to the Bakersfield California The Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest Bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the Genus Cassowaries ( Genus Casuarius) are very large flightless Birds native to the Tropical forests of New Guinea and [2]

Although dozens of species were described in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many were based on partial skeletons and turned out to be synonyms. In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. More recent research, based on DNA recovered from museum collections, suggest that there were only 11–15 species, including 2–4 giant moa. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known The giant moa seem to have had pronounced sexual dimorphism, with females being much larger than males—so much bigger that they were formerly classified as separate species (see also below). The giant moa ( Dinornis) is an extinct genus of Ratite birds belonging to the Moa family Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. The giant moa grew up to 4 m (13 ft) in height and became extinct much earlier (also by Māori hunting), about 1300 AD. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit

Although they are traditionally reconstructed in an upright position giving impressive height, it is thought more likely that moa carried their heads forward, in the manner of a kiwi, in order to graze on low-level vegetation.

Ancient DNA analyses have determined that there were a number of cryptic evolutionary lineages in several moa species. Adna redirects here For the unincorporated community in Washington see Adna Washington. These may eventually be classified as species or subspecies; Megalapteryx benhami (Archey) which is synonymized with M. didinus (Owen) because the bones of both share all essential characters. Size differences can be explained by a north-south cline combined with temporal variation such that specimens were larger in the north during the Otiran. Similar temporal variation is known for the North Island Pachyornis mappini. [3] Some of the other 'Large' ranges in variation for moa species can probably be explained by similar geographic and temporal analysis. [4]

Sometimes, the Dinornithidae are considered to be a full order (Dinornithiformes), in which case the subfamilies listed below would be advanced to full family status (replacing "-inae" with "-idae"). This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used In Biological classification, family ( Latin In Biological classification, family ( Latin

Thus, the currently recognized genera and species are:

Biology

It has been long suspected that the pairs of species of moa described as Euryapteryx curtus/E. Anomalopteryx didiformis is an extinct bird genus known colloquially as the Lesser or Bush Moa. Anomalopteryx didiformis is an extinct bird genus known colloquially as the Lesser or Bush Moa. The Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus, is an extinct species of Moa. The Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus, is an extinct species of Moa. Pachyornis is an Extinct Genus of Ratites from New Zealand which belonged to the Moa family The giant moa ( Dinornis) is an extinct genus of Ratite birds belonging to the Moa family exilis, Emeus huttonii/E. crassus, and Pachyornis septentrionalis/P. mappini constituted males and females, respectively. This has been confirmed by analysis for sex-specific genetic markers of DNA extracted from bone material (Huynen et al. , 2003). The former three species of Dinornis: D. giganteus = robustus, D. novaezealandiae and D. struthioides have turned out to be males (struthioides) and females of only two species, one each formerly occurring on New Zealand's North Island (D. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island novaezealandiae) and South Island (D. robustus) (Huynen et al. , 2003; Bunce et al. , 2003); robustus however, comprises three distinct genetic lineages and may eventually be classified as many species as discussed above.

Moa females were larger than males, being up to 150% of the males' size and 280% of their weight. This phenomenon – size dimorphism – is common amongst ratites, being most pronounced in moa and kiwi. Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct KIWI (1029 FM, "Radio Lobo" is a commercial Radio station located in McFarland California, broadcasting to the Bakersfield California

Diet

Although feeding moa were never observed by scientists their diet has been deduced from their remains as well as fossilised contents of their gizzards as well as indirectly through the stable isotope analysis of their bones. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ in the digestive tract found in Birds Reptiles Isotope analysis is the identification of Isotopic signature, the distribution of certain Stable isotopes and chemical elements within chemical compounds Moa were browsers of fibrous twigs and leaves taken from low trees and shrubs. [5]

Extinction

Sir Richard Owen with moa skeleton
Sir Richard Owen with moa skeleton

The moa's only predator was the massive Haast's Eagle—until the arrival of human settlers. Sir Richard Owen KCB ( Lancaster, July 20 1804 &ndash December 18 1892) was an English Biologist Haast's Eagle ( Harpagornis moorei) was a massive now extinct Eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand.

The Māori arrived sometime before 1300 AD, and all moa species were soon driven to extinction by hunting and, to a lesser extent, forest clearance. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. By about 1400 AD all moa are generally thought to have become extinct, along with the Haast's Eagle which had relied on them for food. Haast's Eagle ( Harpagornis moorei) was a massive now extinct Eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. Recent research using carbon-14 dating of middens strongly suggests that this took less than a hundred years[6]; rather than the period of exploitation lasting several hundred years which had been earlier believed. Radiocarbon dating is a Radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring Radioisotope Carbon-14 (14C to determine the age of

Some authors have speculated that a few Megalapteryx didinus may have persisted in remote corners of New Zealand until the 18th and even 19th centuries, but the view is not widely accepted. [7]

Discovery by science

Joel Polack, a trader who lived on the East Coast of the North Island from 1834 to 1837, records in 1838 that he had been shown 'several large fossil ossifications' found near Mt Hikurangi. Joel Samuel Polack (1807–1882 was the first Jewish settler in New Zealand, arriving in 1831 He was certain that these were the bones of a species of emu or ostrich, noting that 'the Natives add that in times long past they received the traditions that very large birds had existed, but the scarcity of animal food, as well as the easy method of entrapping them, has caused their extermination'. Polack further noted that he had received reports from Māori that a 'species of Struthio' still existed in remote parts of the South Island (Polack 1838, cited in Hill 1913:330). Dieffenbach (1843 (II):195) also refers to a fossil from the area near Mt Hikurangi, and surmises that it belongs to 'a bird, now extinct, called Moa (or Movie) by the natives'. In 1839, John W. Harris, a Poverty Bay flax trader who was a natural history enthusiast, was given a piece of unusual bone by a Māori who had found it in a river bank. Poverty Bay is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand 's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. He showed the 15 cm fragment of bone to his uncle, John Rule, a Sydney surgeon, who sent it to Richard Owen who at that time was working at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. Sir Richard Owen KCB ( Lancaster, July 20 1804 &ndash December 18 1892) was an English Biologist The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent Professional body committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Owen became a noted biologist, anatomist and paleontologist at the British Museum. A biologist is a Scientist devoted to and producing results in Biology through the study of Organisms Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship Anatomy (from the Greek anatomia, from ana separate apart from and temnein, to cut up cut open is a branch of Biology that is the consideration Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London.

Owen puzzled over the fragment for almost four years. He established it was part of the femur of a big animal, but it was uncharacteristically light and honeycombed. The femur is the thigh bone In Humans, it is the longest, most voluminous and strongest Bone. Owen announced to a skeptical scientific community and the world that it was from a giant extinct bird like an ostrich, and named it Dinornis. The Ostrich ( Struthio camelus) is a large Flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East) His deduction was ridiculed in some quarters but was proved correct with the subsequent discoveries of considerable quantities of moa bones throughout the country, sufficient to reconstruct skeletons of the birds.

In July 2004, the Natural History Museum in London placed on display the moa bone fragment Owen had first examined, to celebrate 200 years since his birth, and in memory of Owen as founder of the museum. The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum

Claims of moa survival

Though most scientists contend there is no reasonable doubt that moa are extinct, there has been occasional speculation—since at least the late 1800s,[8][9] and recently as 2008[10]—that some moa may still exist, particularly in deepest south Westland, a rugged wilderness in the South Island. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Naming To New Zealanders the term 'The Coast' generally refers to the West Coast of the South Island, and 'Coasters' to those that live there Cryptozoologists and others reputedly continue to search for them,[11] but their claims and supporting evidence (such as of purported Moa footprints[12] or blurry photos[13]) have earned little attention from mainstream experts, and are widely considered pseudoscientific. Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the [7]

Experts contend that moa survival is extremely unlikely, since this would involve the giant birds living unnoticed in a region often visited by hunters and hikers. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage [14] While the rediscovery of the Takahē has provided evidence that living birds may still exist undiscovered, the chicken-sized Takahē could more easily avoid humans while a large moa would have considerable difficulty in doing so. The Takahē or South Island Takahē, Porphyrio hochstetteri is a Flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand and belonging to the rail family The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from The Takahē was rediscovered after its tracks were identified, but no reliable evidence of moa tracks has been uncovered.

Footnotes

  1. ^ In Māori words do not use s to indicate plural, and thus "moa" is both plural and singular. Some English speakers apply this rule to their use of the word within English, though others use the regularly formed English plural "moas".
  2. ^ Turvey et al 2005
  3. ^ Worthy 1987
  4. ^ Worthy et al 1988
  5. ^ Worthy & Holdaway 2002
  6. ^ Holdaway & Jacomb 2000
  7. ^ a b Anderson 1989
  8. ^ Gould, Charles. 1886 Mythical Monsters. W. H. Allen & Co
  9. ^ Heuvelmans, Bernard. Bernard Heuvelmans ( October 10, 1916 &ndash August 22, 2001) was a Belgian - French scientist explorer researcher and 1959. On the Track of Unknown Animals. New York, Hill and Wang
  10. ^ Laing, Doug. "Birdman says moa surviving in the Bay" 2008. from Hawks Bay Today.
  11. ^ Hall, Jamie. 2006. "The Cryptid Zoo: Moas and Other Giant Flightless Birds".
  12. ^ Laing, 2008
  13. ^ Coleman, Loren. 2007. "Mystery Moa Photo".
  14. ^ Laing, 2008

References

See also

External links

Dictionary

moa

-noun

  1. A very large, extinct, flightless bird of the family Dinornithidae that was native to New Zealand; until its extinction, one species was the largest bird in the world.
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