The broad-billed, stout-legged moa or coastal moa (''Euryapteryx curtus'') is an extinct species of
moa. These moa lived in both the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''no ...
and the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
Islands of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
, and on
Stewart Island
Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...
. Its habitat was in the lowlands (duneland, forest, shrubland, and grassland).
It was a
ratite and a member of the
lesser moa family. The ratites are flightless birds with a
sternum
The sternum 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. ...
without a
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...
. They also have a distinctive
palate
The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly s ...
. The origin of these birds 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.
As of 2006, half of all complete or mostly complete moa eggs in museum collections are likely broad-billed moa specimens.
Of the specimens traditionally given the name ''Euryapteryx gravis'', the eggs has an average length of 205mm and width of 143mm, while the group traditionally assigned to the name ''Euryapteryx curtus'' had an average length of 122mm and width of 94mm.
Taxonomy
A 2009 genetic study showed that ''Euryapteryx curtus'' and ''Euryapteryx gravis'' were synonyms. A 2010 study explained size differences among them as sexual dimorphism.
A 2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead.
The
cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...
below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce ''et al.'':
File:Stout-legged Moa.jpg, Skull
Footnotes
References
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External links
Unmasking the secrets of the extinct moa
Extinct flightless birds
Extinct birds of New Zealand
Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
broad-billed moa
The broad-billed, stout-legged moa or coastal moa (''Euryapteryx curtus'') is an extinct species of moa. These moa lived in both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand, and on Stewart Island. Its habitat was in the lowlands (duneland, f ...
{{NewZealand-stub