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Emeidae
The lesser moa (family Emeidae) were a family in the moa order Dinornithiformes. About two-thirds of all moa species are in the lesser moa family. The moa were ratites from New Zealand. Ratites are flightless birds with a sternum without a 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 The currently recognised genera and species are: * Genus '' Anomalopteryx'' ** Bush moa, ''Anomalopteryx didiformis'' (North and South Island, New Zealand) * Genus '' Emeus'' ** Eastern moa, ''Emeus crassus'' (South Island, New Zealand) * Genus ''Euryapteryx'' ** Broad-billed moa, ''Euryapteryx curtus'' (North and South Island, New Zealand) * Genus ''Pachyornis'' ** Heavy-footed moa, ''Pachyornis elephantopus'' (South Island, New Zealand) ** Mantell's moa Mantell's moa (''Pachyornis geranoides'') also know ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, forest, shrubland, and grassland). It was 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. 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anomalopteryx Didiformis
The bush moa, little bush moa, or lesser moa (''Anomalopteryx didiformis'') is an extinct species of moa from the family Emeidae (lesser moa). Description It was the smallest known species of moa, only slightly taller than a turkey. A slender bird, it weighed around . As with all moa, they have with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. It inhabited much of the North Island and small sections of the South Island of New Zealand. Its habitat was dense lowland conifer, broad-leafed southern beech forests and scrubland. It possessed a sturdy, sharp-edged beak, suggesting that its diet was made up of twigs and other tough plant material. Threats and extinction Native predators included the Haast's eagle and Eyles' harrier. The species went extinct alongside other native New Zealand wildlife around 500-600 years ago, following the arrival and proliferation of the Maori people in New Zealand, as well as the introduction of Polynesian dogs. Archaelogical re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euryapteryx Curtus
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, forest, shrubland, and grassland). It was 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. 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 ... [...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). Description It was the smallest known species of moa, only slightly taller than a turkey. A slender bird, it weighed around . As with all moa, they have with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. It inhabited much of the North Island and small sections of the South Island of New Zealand. Its habitat was dense lowland conifer, broad-leafed southern beech forests and scrubland. It possessed a sturdy, sharp-edged beak, suggesting that its diet was made up of twigs and other tough plant material. Threats and extinction Native predators included the Haast's eagle and Eyles' harrier. The species went extinct alongside other native New Zealand wildlife around 500-600 years ago, following the arrival and proliferation of the Maori people in New Zealand, as well as the introduction of Polynesian dogs. Archaelogical re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 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 grc, label=none, πλεῖστος, pleīstos, most and grc, label=none, καινός, kainós (latinized as ), 'new'. At the end of the preceding Pliocene, the previously isolated North and South American continents were joined by the Isthmus of Panama, causing Great American Interchang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keel (bird Anatomy)
A keel or carina (plural carinae) in bird anatomy is an extension of the sternum (breastbone) which runs axially along the midline of the sternum and extends outward, perpendicular to the plane of the ribs. The keel provides an anchor to which a bird's wing muscles attach, thereby providing adequate leverage for flight. Not all birds have keels; in particular, some flightless birds lack a keel structure. Without a keel a bird will not be able to fly. Some flightless birds have a keel, such as the penguin; but in the penguin's case, its wings are too small for its body, so flight would require flapping its wings too fast to be practical. Historically, the presence or absence of a pronounced keel structure was used as a broad classification of birds into two orders: Carinatae (from ''carina'', "keel"), having a pronounced keel; and ratites (from ''ratis'', "raft"referring to the flatness of the sternum), having a subtle keel structure or lacking one entirely. However, this class ... [...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 col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mantell's Moa
Mantell's moa (''Pachyornis geranoides'') also known as Mappin's moa is an extinct species of moa from the North Island of New Zealand. Its habitat was the lowlands (shrublands, grasslands, dunelands, and forests). The moa were ratites, flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. 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 sepa .... 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.Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003) Footnotes References * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3734974 Extinct flightless birds Extinct birds of New Zealand Ratites Bird extinctions since 1500 Holocene extinctions Late Quaternary prehistoric birds ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavy-footed Moa
The heavy-footed moa (''Pachyornis elephantopus'') is a species of moa from the lesser moa family. The heavy-footed moa was widespread only in the South Island of New Zealand, and its habitat was the lowlands (shrublands, dunelands, grasslands, and forests). The moa were ratites, flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. 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 in which they have been found.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 have an average length of 226mm and a width of 158mm, making these the largest moa eggs behind the single South Island giant moa egg specimen. Discovery The heavy-footed moa was discover ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachyornis
''Pachyornis'' is an extinct genus of ratites from New Zealand which belonged to the moa family. Like all ratites it was a member of the Order (biology), order Struthioniformes. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. This genus contains three species, and are part of the Anomalopteryginae or lesser moa subfamily. ''Pachyornis'' moa were the stoutest and most heavy-legged genus of the family. The most notable species being ''Pachyornis elephantopus'' - the Heavy-Footed Moa. They were 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 in general. At least one species (''P. australis'') is assumed to have had a crest of long feathers on its head. The species became rapidly extinct following human colonization of New Zealand, with the possible exception of ''P. australis'', which may have already been extinct by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Moa
The eastern moa (''Emeus crassus'') is an extinct species of moa. When the first specimens were originally described by Richard Owen, they were placed within the genus ''Dinornis'' as three different species, but, was later split off into their own genus, ''Emeus''. ''E. crassus'' is currently the only species of ''Emeus'', as the other two species, ''E. casuarinus'' and ''E. huttonii'' are now regarded as synonyms of ''E. crassus''. 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.Huynen, L. J., ''et al.'' (2003) This phenomenon — reverse size dimorphism — is not uncommon amongst ratites, being also very pronounced in kiwis. Description ''Emeus'' was of average size, standing tall. Like other moa, it h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
