Extinct Moa
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Owner:
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soodex
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Released:
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Monday, October 29, 2012
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Origin:
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North Island, New Zealand
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Recently Spotted:
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Unknown Location
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To travel far and wide before returning to Tamaki Makaurau, Aotearoa - Auckland, New Zealand
The moa were nine species (in six genera) of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.6 m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kg (510 lb).
Moa belong to the ratite group in the order Dinornithiformes. The nine species of moa were the only wingless birds, lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand's forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, and, until the arrival of the Māori, were hunted only by the Haast's Eagle. It is generally considered that most, if not all, species of moa died out due to over-hunting by the Māori, by 1400AD, and habitat decline before European discovery and settlement.
Research published in 2010 has found that the moa's closest cousins are small terrestrial South American birds called the tinamous which are able to fly. Previously, the kiwi, the Australian emu and cassowary were thought to be the closest ancestors.
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