Creature
Fast Facts
Introducing you to extinct species.

THE

GIANT MOA

1. There were 9 moa species living in New Zealand at one time. All of them are now extinct. 2. The giant moa, Dinoris robustus, was the tallest bird ever, standing up to 12 feet high, but oddly they seem to have had no wings. 3. They were a member of the ratite family like the emu, ostrich, kiwi, or extinct elephant bird. 4. The female giant moa could be twice as tall and weigh three times as much as the male. 5. The North Island giant moa tended to be larger than the South Island giant moa. 6. Although they were massive, giant moa remains show that they were hunted by the massive, also extinct, Haast’s eagle because of claw marks left in moa bones. 7. The Giant Moa, like all other moa species, probably went extinct sometime in the early 1500’s due to over-hunting when Maori people arrived in New Zealand. 8. A 3,300 year old upland moa claw was discovered in a cave.

Extinction
Cometh
Facing the light at the end of the tunnel

EXTINCTION DATE

late 1400's

The Maori people arrived in New Zealand between 1280 AD - 1320 AD and began to have an effect on the wildlife of the two islands. The Maori successfully, and efficiently hunted the giant moa. Although there may have been a few upland moas in the high mountains, all other moas were extinct by the time Europeans arrived in New Zealand in 1796. Scientists believe that the giant moa went extinct in the late 1400's. Could the giant moa live in New Zealand today? Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The giant moa would be a bad candidate for this. There are some skeletal remains of the giant moa, but the de-extinction process requires soft tissue, and this is hard to find. There was a moa claw found in a cave in New Zealand that did have soft tissue. This is believed to be an upland moa, a species that lived in the mountains of New Zealand and one of the last to go extinct. This claw was found to be 3,300 years old. The good news is that New Zealand has been making great progress in protecting its native wildlife, like the kiwi by preserving forests and eliminating invasive species. If the giant moa was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in New Zealand?

Lazarus
Tales
Short stories of return

Click Scroll for Lazarus Return 'Rules'

COMING SOON

Although Moana the giant moa did have a return story in my book Deader Than a Dodo, her presonal Lazarus Tale is yet to be written. Here is an excerpt of what Moana had to say in my story, Deader Than a Dodo. Now that we were in order, all of us turned our attention to Moana, a giant bird that towered above everyone. She looked like a twelve-foot tall ostrich/kiwi mix with no visible wings. Her feathers resembled shaggy brown hair and her head was proportionally smaller than the rest of her gargantuan body. There was a deep blue color lining the bottom portion of her head that ran partway down her throat. Moana turned toward Eldey who encouraged her to share. I wondered why such a large creature would be so reserved. I didn’t think she was going to speak, but then she cleared her throat and began in a voice that was oddly tiny in comparison to her great size. “Giant Moa. Moana. New Zealand. Pacific. Don’t like holes. June 6, 1492.” Her voice trailed off, and I waited for more from this giant bird, but it was obvious she wouldn’t be speaking anymore. But a tiny voice near Moana from somewhere above me began speaking, “Moana is a giant moa from New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia.” I wondered if Moana talked in the third person or had multiple personalities or something, similar to how Martha spoke in plurals, but I didn’t want to interrupt while she was speaking to ask her. I also thought it awkward that Moana, a girl, had such a manly voice representing a possibly different personality, but I kept that thought to myself too. I even thought to apologize for that thought in case she heard my internal conversation. The lofty tiny male voice continued, “Her chosen name in Moana because she feels it represents her species, the giant moa well. Honestly, she also isn’t known for her creativity. Moana is very loyal and honest and went extinct on June 6, 1492, when her kind was finally eliminated by the Maori people who had arrived in New Zealand years before. Even though she is huge, she is relatively shy and scared of enclosed places. Moana is very claustrophobic due to the fact that the Maori people would herd giant moas into large pits to capture them, sometimes leaving them in those deep pits for days at a time.” Moana bowed her head and took a step back into line. “Thank you, Stephen, for helping Moana with that. You can stay right there until it is your turn to share,” Eldey said appreciatively. I strained to see this Stephen character, but I couldn’t locate him. Maybe he was some extinct insect or something. Either way, I’d be hearing from him again soon.