Nearly three decades ago, a group of archaeologists discovered a giant bird claw still intact with flesh in a cave on Mount Owen, New Zealand.
Analysis results show that the mysterious claw is a remnant from the 3,300-year-old remains of the upland moa, a prehistoric bird that vanished centuries ago.
The claw of the moa remains intact after 3,300 years. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
The upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) is a specific species of moa native to New Zealand. DNA analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on February 7, 2014, indicates that moas first appeared 18.5 million years ago and included at least 10 species.
Illustration of the moa and preserved moa footprints. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
Standing over three meters tall, the moa was the largest bird on the planet. However, the upland moa was the smallest species, reaching only 1.3 meters in height. This bird was covered in feathers except for its beak and feet. It had no wings or tail. True to its name, it lived in the cool highlands of New Zealand.
The moa was first discovered in 1839 by John W. Harris, a merchant with a passion for natural history. Subsequently, scientists found thousands of specimens belonging to the moa, many of which included soft tissue with muscles, skin, and feathers. Most fossils were buried under sand dunes, swamps, and caves where the moa nested or sought shelter from bad weather. The specimens were preserved due to the drying process when the moa died in a naturally dry area.
Haast’s Eagle attacking a moa in New Zealand. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
When Polynesians migrated to New Zealand in the mid-13th century, the moa was thriving. It was the dominant herbivore in forests, grasslands, and mountainous regions for thousands of years, with only one predator: the Haast’s Eagle.
According to the Natural History Museum in London, England, because adult moas grew very slowly, they could not reproduce quickly enough to sustain their population, leading to a higher risk of extinction. Moas had already gone extinct before Europeans arrived in New Zealand in 1760.
Why did the moa go extinct?
Why did the moa population decline so drastically before human settlement?
Here, Neil Gemmell from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand has proposed a pair of new hypotheses. One is volcanic eruptions. This natural disaster occurred repeatedly and devastated the moas in the area, particularly around Lake Taupo, the heart of New Zealand’s North Island. A more convincing explanation is that the rapid decline in moa numbers was due to diseases, such as avian influenza, diarrhea, or tuberculosis, brought by migratory birds from Australia and other places.
It is also possible that these birds could have recovered if humans had not interfered with their lives, destroying their habitat and reducing their population through hunting. However, researchers indicate that evidence shows the extinction of the moa is “complex and obscured over time”, rather than a simple, one-dimensional outcome.
“If our new hypothesis about the number of moas is correct, we need to reconsider the factors that may have impacted these populations before humans appeared, and perhaps gain clearer conservation insights from lessons learned in the past.”
