Birds moa - This is a vivid example of what can happen to humanity if the habitat becomes as comfortable and devoid of various threats.
Long ago, New Zealand was a paradise on earth for all birds: there were not any mammal (except for the bat). No you predators, no dinosaurs. Scientists, who studied the bird moafound feather, examined the DNA and found that the first her representatives arrived to the islands more 2000 years ago. This feather was comfortable in the new conditions, because the absence of large predators made their existence very carefree. The only threat to them was only a very large eagle haasta. Plumage moa had a brown color with a greenish-yellowish podton, which served as a good camouflage and sometimes saved from this bird of prey.
Moa did not have to flee from anyone, so their wings atrophied, and later completely disappeared. They moved only on their strong paws. Felt with leaves, roots, fruits. Moa evolved in these conditions, and after There were more than 10 species of these birds.Some were very large: 3 meters in height, weighed over 200 kg, and eggs of such individuals reached 30 cm in diameter. Some smaller ones: only 20 kg, called them "shrubby moa". The females were much larger than the males.
When in 13-14 centuries Māori arrived to the islands of New Zealand, for moa this was the beginning of the end. These representatives of the Polynesian peoples had only one household animal - dog, which helped them to hunt. They fed on broom, ferns, yams and sweet potatoes, and special "goodness" considered wingless birds moa. Since the latter could not fly, they became very light extraction.
Scientists believe that rats, brought Maori, also contributed to the disappearance of these birds. Moa officially considered an extinct species that ceased to exist yet at The 16th century. However, there is evidence of eyewitnesses who had the honor to contemplate very large birds in New Zealand in the late 18th - early 19th century.
Scientists have long been interested in studying extinct birds moa. On the islands there were many skeletons and remainseggshells, which, of course, pleased paleontologists, but living individuals could not be met, even though many expeditions were organized to almost all corners of the islands of New Zealand. The first person to study the history of extinction and explore the remains of these birds was Richard Owen. This famous English zoologist and paleontologist recreated the skeleton moa on the femur, which was a great contribution to the history of vertebrate animals as a whole.
Wingless birds moa belong to the detachmentThe species are dinornis. Their growth can exceed 3 m, weight - from 20 to 240 kg. The clutch of moa had only one or two eggs. The color of the shell is white with a beige, greenish or bluish tint. They hatch masonry for 3 months.
After making an analysis of bone tissue, scientists determined that these birds reached puberty after 10 years. Almost like people.
Moa - rattle bird, her the nearest relative can be considered kiwi. In appearance, the greatest resemblance to an ostrich is: an elongated neck, a slightly flattened head, a curved beak.
I ate moa stunted plants, roots, fruits. He tore out the bulbs from the ground and plucked young shoots. Next to the skeletons of these birds scientists they found pebbles. They suggested that this is the contents of the stomach, because many modern birds also swallow pebbles to help them break down food, so it's better digested.
In the middle of the last century a sensation spread over the whole world. Allegedly someone was lucky enough to take a picture of the living moa. It was an article in one British edition, there was a vague silhouette of an unknown bird in the photo. Later, the deception was exposed, it turned out, this is the usual invention of the media.
However, twenty years ago, interest in this birdrose again. A naturalist from Australia put forward the idea that these birds can still meet on the islands, but only not the large individuals that they expected to see scientists, a moa small size. He went to the North Island. There he was able to capture several dozen tracks of a similar bird. Rex Gilroy - this is the name of the naturalist - It can not be said that the paw prints he has seen really belong to moa.
Second scientist refuted the guesswork Gilroy, because if these birds are really alive, then the trail would be much more.
Scientists believe that the females of these birds were much larger and heavier than males. In addition, they were quantified more. They settled in fertile areas and drove out from there "of the stronger sex".
Moa were a very large population, o than testifies to the abundance of skeletons that have survived to this day.
Some ornithologists believe that the ability to fly these birds lost after the extinction of the dinosaurs, that is, long before they were on the islands of New Zealand.
