Megalapteryx ‭(‬.a.k.a.‭ ‬Upland Moa‭)

Meg-ah-lap-teh-riks.

By Emily Green

Published on December 21, 2013

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Name

Megalapteryx.

Phonetic

Meg-ah-lap-teh-riks.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Aves,‭ ‬Paleognathae,‭ ‬Dinornithiformes,‭ ‬Megalapterygidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

Size

Just under‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter tall.

Known locations

New Zealand,‭ ‬South Island.

Time Period

Pleistocene to Holocene,‭ ‬believed to be extinct by‭ ‬1500AD.

Fossil representation

Remains of many individuals including mummified remains of soft tissues and a partial egg.

In Depth

-‭ ‬Mummified moa remains from Mt Owen,‭ ‬northwest Nelson‭ ‬-‭ ‬Notornis‭ ‬36‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬36‭–‬38.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Trevor H.‭ ‬Worthy‭ ‬-‭ ‬1989. -‭ ‬Unique,‭ ‬dark olive-green moa eggshell from Redcliffe Hill,‭ ‬Rakaia Gorge,‭ ‬Canterbury‭ ‬-‭ ‬Notornis‭ ‬39‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬63‭–‬65.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Beverley McCulloch‭ ‬-‭ ‬1992. -‭ ‬Plant remains in coprolites:‭ ‬diet of a subalpine moa‭ (‬Dinornithiformes‭) ‬from southern New Zealand.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Emu Austral Ornithology‭ ‬-‭ ‬Mark Horrocks,‭ ‬Donna D’Costa,‭ ‬Rod Wallace,‭ ‬Rhys Gardner‭ & ‬Renzo Kondo‭ ‬-‭ ‬2004.

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SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Megalapteryx ‭(‬.a.k.a.‭ ‬Upland Moa‭)

In Depth

Further Reading