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Just 600 years ago, nine species of enormous, flightless birds called moas wandered around New Zealand. Some of these magnificent big birds grew up to 12 feet tall, which would tower over Sesame Street’s most famous resident.

Moas had thrived for millions of years. And suddenly - shortly after humans arrived on the islands - they went extinct.

Coincidence? #Science says no. https://www.science.org/content/article/why-did-new-zealands-moas-go-extinct #history

#science #history
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

John Breen
John Breen
• •
Yeah, I'm pretty sure if I had 12ft birds running around my yard we might end up coming to blows.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

TeflonTrout
TeflonTrout
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Today, the word "moa" means "chicken," so I'm not exactly shocked by this news :BlobhajHoldSassage:
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

8t3v3n
8t3v3n
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Those flightless birds were also food for the largest eagle, that also went extinct.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Helpdesk Stu
Helpdesk Stu
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and when the moas died out, so too did the Haase’s Eagle, because they lived on moas
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

spmatich :blobcoffee:
spmatich :blobcoffee:
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it seems the conclusion that Aotearoas indigenous population are to blame for the Moa dying out is compelling. I bet there is more to it.
Two hundred years is quite a long time, from the arrival of the first people's to the last record of living Moa. So you would think if this occurred over 8-10 generations there would have been a period where the food source was harvested sustainably. If they had been a primary food source, people would have starved when the Moa died out. But after the Moa died out, indigenous people of NZ lived successfully for several hundred years until Europeans arrived. So they had other sources of food. They didn't need the Moa. They weren't dependent on it as a food source. As with any biological system involving humans, the story is probably a bit more complex than the article makes out. DNA analysis can reveal facts about genetic diversity, but not much about behavior.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

WhichOne'sPink 🇫🇮
WhichOne'sPink 🇫🇮
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Surely the extinction of Moas being due to humans is a well-established, long accepted fact.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

MJungnitsch
MJungnitsch
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I can go with the hypothesis that moas suddenly disappeared based on the genetic analysis of the researchers but concluding that humans are the main cause for their disappearance without naming other probable predators of moas in New Zealand at that time smells of confirmation bias. :blobcatthinkOwO:
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Brent Guernsey, Artrocity Studio
Brent Guernsey, Artrocity Studio
• •

🎵​ If on Isle
You have found
twelve-foot birds
on the ground
That's a Moa...🎵​

I...I'll see myself out.

#mastohumor

#mastohumor
This entry was edited (5 months ago)
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Ronnie Tucker
Ronnie Tucker
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do we know for sure what they looked like, or (like with dodos) are we having to go from early drawings??
in reply to Ronnie Tucker

Sheril Kirshenbaum
Sheril Kirshenbaum
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@ronnietucker We do! I was able to see multiple skeletons in New Zealand at the Otago Museum earlier this year. They are tall!
@Ronnie Tucker
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Andrea Casalotti
Andrea Casalotti
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Please write in a language civilised people understand. What does "12 feet" mean?
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Reftspin
Reftspin
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And with the Moas the Haast's eagle (the largest eagle known) became extinct too, because the Moas was it's prey.
This entry was edited (5 months ago)

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