There were 6 genera and 10 species of moa endemic to New Zealand. The 2 largest were Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, that grew to about 3.7 m (12 ft), with an estimated weight of about 230 kg (210 pounds). Unlike other giant flightless birds they lacked even the stubs of wings. The height recorded for these birds results from reconstructions of their skeletons as being upright like their nearest relatives, the emus and cassowaries. In fact, analysis of the articulation of the vertebrae suggest that in life they carried their head forward in the manner of kiwis, to which they are not closely related, instead of upright like emus, which they are closely related to. So they would probably have looked like a giant kiwi.
Moas (ratites) were the dominant herbivore of New Zealand. It is believed that it may have been preyed on by Haarst's Eagle, a now extinct bird that is the largest known eagle to have existed.
There was a high degree of sexual dimorphism among the species of moa, which has contributed to the confusion over how many species there were. There is still uncertainty of relationships among the moas, some species may have to be reassigned to different genera and maybe also classified as synonyms.
Subfamily Megalapteryginae - Megalapteryx Moa |
Genus Megalapteryx |
Upland Moa, Megalapteryx didinus (South Island, New Zealand) |
Subfamily Anomalopteryginae - Lesser Moa |
Genus Anomalopteryx |
Bush Moa, Anomalopteryx didiformis (South Island, New Zealand) |
Genus Euryapteryx |
North Island Broad-billed Moa, Euryapteryx curtus (North Island, New Zealand) |
Stout-legged Moa, Euryapteryx geranoides (South Island, New Zealand) |
Genus Emeus |
Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus (South Island, New Zealand) |
Genus Pachyornis |
Heavy-footed Moa, Pachyornis elephantopus (South Island, New Zealand |
Mappin's Moa, Pachyornis mappini (North Island, New Zealand) |
Pachyornis new lineage A (North Island, New Zealand) |
Pachyornis new lineage B (South Island, New Zealand) |
Subfamily Dinornithinae - Giant Moa |
Genus Dinornis |
Dinornis struthoides (South Island, New Zealand) |
North Island Giant Moa, Dinornis novaezealandiae (North Island, New Zealand) |
South Island Giant Moa, Dinornis giganteus (South Island, New Zealand) |
Dinornis new lineage A (South Island, New Zealand) |
Dinornis new lineage B (South Island, New Zealand) |
Links
Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two extinct moas clarify ratite evolution.
Sources & Further
reading
Patricia Vickers-Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Wildlife of
Gondwana, Reed Australia, 1993