Kurī a.k.a Polynesian dog,‭ ‬New Zealand Indigenous Dog,‭ ‬Māori.

Published on

Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Kurī Kurī.

Phonetic

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Carnivora,‭ ‬Canis.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

Size

Highly variable,‭ ‬betrween‭ ‬20‭ ‬and‭ ‬38‭ ‬centimetres high at the shoulder.

Known locations

New Zealand.

Time Period

Uncertain origin,‭ ‬the breed goes extinct at some point after the‭ ‬1800s after the arrival of the first European settlers.

Fossil representation

Skeletal remains,‭ ‬furs,‭ ‬objects carved from bones,‭ ‬and a few examples stuffed.

In Depth

Further Reading

Further reading- The Maori Dog: A Study of the Polynesian Dog of New Zealand. Auckland. – M.A Thesis, Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland. – Jan Alto – 1970.- The Dentition of the Maori Dog of New Zealand. – Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland. Auckland Institute and Museum. 8: 29–45. – Jan Alto – 1971.- Pre-European Hunting Dogs in the South Island, New Zealand. – New Zealand Journal of Archaeology. Dunedin: New Zealand Archaeological Association. 3: 15–20. – Atholl Anderson – 1981.- The Kuri in Prehistory: a Skeletal Analysis of the Extinct Maori Dog. – MA thesis, Anthropology Department, University of Otago. – Geoffrey R. Clark – 1995.- Anthropogenic Factors and Prehistoric Dog Morphology: A Case Study from Polynesia”. Archaeology in Oceania. Sydney. – Oceania Publications, University of Sydney. 32 (1): 124–130. – Geoffrey R. Clark – 1997.- Osteology of the kuri Maori: The prehistoric dog of New Zealand. – Journal of Archaeological Science. 24 (2): 113–126. – Geoffrey R. Clark – 1997a.- Maori Subsistence Change: Zooarchaeological Evidence from the Prehistoric Dog of New Zealand. – Asian Perspectives. 36 (2): 200–219. – Geoffrey R. Clark – 1997b.- Advances in New Zealand Mammalogy 1990-2000: Polynesian Dog or Kuri”. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Wellington. – Royal Society of New Zealand. 31 (1): 161–163. – A. J. Anderson & G. R. Clark – 2001.- For the Love of Dog – A Discussion on Dog Domestication with an Ethnographic Focus on the Islands of the South Pacific. – Oxford: University of Oxford. – Carys Williams – 2015.- Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of New Zealand’s First Dogs. – PLOS ONE. 10 (10): e0138536. – Karen Greig, James Boocock, Stefan Prost, K. Ann Horsburgh, Chris Jacomb, Richard Walter & Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith – [Manfred hayser (ed.)] – 2015.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT