|
Lesser Moa
The lesser moa (Family (biology), family Emeidae) were a family in the moa Order (biology), order Dinornithiformes. About two-thirds of all moa species are in the lesser moa family. The moa were ratites from New Zealand: flightless birds with a sternum but without a Keel (bird anatomy), keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of the ratites is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas that they have been found in. Species Currently, six species of lesser moa are recognised, belonging to four genera. These are: * Genus ''Anomalopteryx'' ** Bush moa, ''Anomalopteryx didiformis'' (North Island, North and South Island, New Zealand) * Genus ''Emeus'' ** Eastern moa, ''Emeus crassus'' (South Island, New Zealand) * Genus ''Broad-billed moa, Euryapteryx'' ** Broad-billed moa, ''Euryapteryx curtus'' (North and South Island, New Zealand) * Genus ''Pachyornis'' ** Heavy-footed moa, ''Pachyorni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek () 'most' and (; Latinized as ) 'new'. The aridification and cooling trends of the preceding Neogene were continued in the Pleistocene. The climate was strongly variable depending on the glacial cycle, oscillating between cold Glacial period, glacial periods and warmer Interglacial, int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sternum
The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Shaped roughly like a necktie, it is one of the largest and longest flat bones of the body. Its three regions are the manubrium, the body, and the xiphoid process. The word ''sternum'' originates from Ancient Greek στέρνον (''stérnon'') 'chest'. Structure The sternum is a narrow, flat bone, forming the middle portion of the front of the chest. The top of the sternum supports the clavicles (collarbones) and its edges join with the costal cartilages of the first two pairs of ribs. The inner surface of the sternum is also the attachment of the sternopericardial ligaments. Its top is also connected to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The sternum consists of three main parts, listed from the top: * Man ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crested Moa
The crested moa (''Pachyornis australis'') is an extinct species of moa. It is one of the 9 known species of moa to have existed. Moa are grouped together with emus, ostriches, kiwi, cassowaries, rheas, and tinamous in the clade Palaeognathae. Some of the species of this group are flightless and lacks a keel on their sternum. The name crested moa is due to pits being found in their skulls, suggesting they had crests of long feathers. These cranial pits are also found occasionally in ''Dinornis'', '' Anomalopteryx'', and other ''Pachyornis'' species. Description The crested moa weighed around . The crested moa was smaller than the heavy-footed moa (''Pachyornis elephantopus'') and their bones are sometimes mistaken for those of ''P. elephantopus'' due to their similar structure. Almost nothing is known about the feather pits on the crested moa's skull. It is likely the feathers were used in courtship rituals or to challenge rivals, but no feathers have been found, so their co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mantell's Moa
Mantell's moa (''Pachyornis geranoides'') also known as Mappin's moa or moa ruarangi, is an extinct species of moa from the North Island of New Zealand. It inhabited lowland environments like shrublands, grasslands, dunelands, and forests.Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003) Moa are an extinct group of ratites, flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. Its name is in honour of New Zealand naturalist and politician Walter Mantell Walter Baldock Durrant Mantell (11 March 1820 – 7 September 1895) was a 19th-century New Zealand naturalist, politician, and land purchase commissioner. He was a founder and first secretary of the New Zealand Institute, and a collector of moa .... Description Mantell's moa had a length of , and weighed between . Footnotes References * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3734974 Extinct flightless birds Extinct birds of New Zealand Ratites Bird extinctions since 1500 Holocene extinctions Late Quaternary prehistoric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy-footed Moa
The heavy-footed moa (''Pachyornis elephantopus'') is an extinct species of moa from the lesser moa family. The heavy-footed moa was widespread across the South Island of New Zealand, and inhabited lowland environments like shrublands, dunelands, grasslands, and forests. Moa are ratites, flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate.Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003) The heavy-footed moa was about tall, and weighed as much as .Olliver, Narena (2005) Three complete or partially complete moa eggs in museum collections are considered eggs of the heavy-footed moa, all sourced from Otago. These eggs have an average length of and a width of , making these the second-largest moa eggs, behind the single South Island giant moa egg specimen. Taxonomy The heavy-footed moa was originally described as ''Dinornis elephantopus'' by the biologist Richard Owen in 1856 from leg bones found by Walter Mantell at Awamoa, near Oamaru, and given by him to the Natur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachyornis
''Pachyornis'' is an extinct genus of ratites from New Zealand which belongs to the moa family. Like all ratites, ''Pachyornis'' is a flightless bird with a sternum that lacks a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The genus currently contains three currently recognised species: the type species, ''Pachyornis geranoides'', ''P. elephantopus'' and ''P. australis''. Two distinct genetic lineages, one each recovered from the North and South Island, could possibly expand this number to five in the future. The three species of ''Pachyornis'' are the most stoutly built and heavy-legged across all species of Dinornithiformes, the species that exhibits the most extreme morphology of the genus is the heavy-footed moa ''P. elephantopus''. ''Pachyornis'' was generally similar to the eastern moa or the broad-billed moa of the genus ''Euryapteryx'', but differed in having a pointed bill and being more heavyset. At least one species, ''P. australis'', is assumed to have had a crest of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broad-billed Moa
The broad-billed moa, stout-legged moa, or coastal moa (''Euryapteryx curtus'') is an extinct species of moa that was endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy ''Euryapteryx curtus'' is a ratite and a member of the lesser moa family. The ratites are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. A 2009 genetic study showed that the species ''Euryapteryx gravis'' is a junior synonym of ''E. curtus''. Following this, a study published in 2010 explained size differences among the remains as being a result of sexual dimorphism. A 2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead. ''E. c. curtus'', the nominate subspecies, was labeled the "coastal moa", while ''E. c. gravis'' was the "stout-legged moa". The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce ''et al.'': Habitat and distribution ''Euryapteryx curtus'' was one of the most widespreas moa species, inhabiting mostly open areas. These moa lived on both the North and the Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Moa
The eastern moa (''Emeus crassus'') is an extinct species of moa that was endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy When the first specimens were originally described by Richard Owen in 1846, they were placed within the genus ''Dinornis'' as three different species. These remains would later be split off into their own genus, ''Emeus''. The other two species, ''E. casuarinus'' and ''E. huttonii'' are currently regarded as junior synonyms of ''E. crassus'', and the genus currently contains this single species. It has been long suspected that the "species" described as ''Emeus huttonii'' and ''E. crassus'' were males and females, respectively, of a single species. This has been confirmed by analysis for sex-specific genetic markers of DNA extracted from bone material; the females of ''E. crassus'' were 15-25% larger than males. This phenomenon — sexual dimorphism — is not uncommon amongst ratites, being also very pronounced in kiwi and the related moa genus ''Dinornis''. Descriptio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers , making it the List of islands by area, world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate. The most populous cities are Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson and Invercargill. Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi – Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and the historical Waitaha (South Island iwi), Waitaha – with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch. During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu Māori, Te Tau Ihu, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List of islands by area, world's 14th-largest island, constituting 43% of New Zealand's land area. It has a population of which is % of New Zealand's residents, making it the most populous island in Polynesia and the List of islands by population, 28th-most-populous island in the world. Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangārei, Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, New Zealand, Napier, Hastings, New Zealand, Hastings, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and New Zealand's capital city Wellington, which is located at the south-west tip of the island. Naming and usage The island has been known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bush Moa
The bush moa, little bush moa, or lesser moa (''Anomalopteryx didiformis'') is an extinct species of moa from the family Emeidae (lesser moa) endemic to New Zealand. It is the only species in the genus ''Anomalopteryx'', from Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (''anómalos''), meaning "irregular", and πτέρυξ (''ptérux''), meaning "wing". Taxonomy The bush moa was first scientifically described as ''Dinornis didiformis'' by Richard Owen in 1844. He chose the specific name ''didiformis'' because of the apparent similarity in the shape and size of the bush moas' tarsometatarsus to that of the dodo (then ''Didus ineptus''). Description The bush moa is the smallest known species of moa, having only been slightly taller than a turkey (approx. tall). A slender bird, it is estimated to have weighed around . As with all moa, ''Anomalopteryx'' possesses a sternum, but no keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The animal inhabited much of New Zealand's North Island, along w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
