Why the moa became extinct.
Maaori killed them for their flesh which was eaten. Their feathers were used for clothes and their bones were used for hooks and pendants. Then, about 600 years ago, they quickly went extinct. Their die off coincided with the arrival of the first humans on the islands in the late 13th century, and scientists have long wondered what role hunting by Homo sapiens..
Moa was a large, flightless bird that lived in New Zealand until 1400 years AD. There were around 11 species of moa, some of which appeared on the planet 2.4 million years ago. Moa had lived in the forests, scrublands, grasslands or upland habitats. Moa were
able to reach 12 feet in height and up to 550 pounds of weight. It was one of the tallest birds that ever lived on the planet. Females were taller and heavier than males. Haast's eagle and humans were the only enemies of moa. |
The preserved stomach contents of the Giant Moa show that they snipped twigs off plants such as the daisy–bush, daisy bush , and ate them. They also ate berries and leaves. Like many birds, they had to swallow stones to grind up the food in the gizzard. According to Maori tradition, moas were swift runners that defended themselves by kicking when cornered. Early Polynesian peoples hunted moas for food and made spear points, hooks, and ornaments from their bones and water carriers from their eggs. Although the larger moas probably became extinct by the end of the 17th century, a few smaller species may have survived into the 19th. By Osheya |
