South Island giant moa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Island giant moa Temporal range: Late Holocene
Skeleton
Conservation status
Extinct
Scientific classification
Genus:	Dinornis
Species:	robustus
Synonyms
List Dinornis ingens var. robustus Owen, 1846 Palapteryx robustus (Owen 1846) Owen 1851a Dinornis maximus Haast 1869 Dinornis altus Owen 1879 Dinornis validus Hutton 1891 Dinornis potens Hutton 1891 Dinornis strenuus Hutton 1893 Dinornis torosus Hutton 1891 Palapteryx plenus Hutton 1891

The South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) was a huge, flightless bird that lived in New Zealand. It belonged to a group of birds called moas, which were all known for being very large and unable to fly. This amazing bird was a type of ratite, which means it had a flat sternum (breastbone) without a keel. A keel is usually where flight muscles attach.

Scientists now think that the very first ancestors of these birds could actually fly! They believe these early birds flew to the southern parts of the world where moa fossils have been found. Over time, they lost the ability to fly and grew to incredible sizes.

Discovering the South Island Giant Moa

The South Island giant moa was the biggest of all the moa species. Imagine a bird so tall it could look into a second-story window! Adult female moa could stand up to 2 meters (6 feet 6 inches) high at their backs. They could even reach leaves and branches up to 3.6 meters (11 feet 10 inches) off the ground. This made them the tallest bird species ever known.

Only one almost complete moa egg has been found and linked to the South Island giant moa. It was discovered near Kaikōura in New Zealand. This egg was huge, measuring 240 millimeters (about 9.4 inches) long and 178 millimeters (about 7 inches) wide. It's the largest moa egg ever found in museum collections!

Restoration of a giant moa

Where Did the Giant Moa Live?

The South Island giant moa lived only on the South Island of New Zealand. It preferred to live in the lowlands. Its home included many different types of environments:

• Shrubland
• Duneland (sandy areas near the coast)
• Grassland
• Forests

This shows that the giant moa was able to adapt to various landscapes across the South Island.

Track-way of moa footprints

Why Did the Giant Moa Disappear?

Sadly, the South Island giant moa, along with all other moa species, became extinct. This happened after humans arrived in New Zealand. The main reason for their disappearance was hunting by humans. As more people settled on the islands, the moa were hunted for food and their numbers quickly dropped. Within a few centuries of human arrival, these magnificent birds were gone forever.

See also

In Spanish: Moa gigante de la isla Sur para niños