Heavy-footed moa
species of bird (fossil)
The Heavy-footed moa (Pachyornis elephantopus) was a type of moa. It only lived in New Zealand. It could not fly.[3]
| Heavy-footed moa Temporal range: Late Pleistocene-Holocene
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|---|---|
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| P. elephantopus skeleton photographed by Roger Fenton | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | †Dinornithiformes |
| Family: | †Emeidae |
| Genus: | †Pachyornis |
| Species: | †P. elephantopus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pachyornis elephantopus | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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Description
changeThe heavy-footed moa was about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. It weighed 145 kg (320 lb).[4]
Discovery
changeThe heavy-footed moa was discovered by W.B.D. Mantell at Awamoa, near Oamaru.[4]
Distribution and Habitat
changeThe heavy-footed moa only lived in the South Island of New Zealand.[5][4] They lived in dry and open habitats such as grasslands, shrublands and dry forests.
Diet
changeThe heavy-footed moa is a herbivore like other types of moa. It eats tough plants. Its only predator was the Haast's eagle.
References
change- ↑ Brands, S. (2008)
- ↑ Checklist Committee Ornithological Society of New Zealand (2010). "Checklist-of-Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands and the Ross Dependency Antarctica" (PDF). Te Papa Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ↑ Grzimek, Bernhard (2003–2004). Grzimek's animal life encyclopedia. Neil Schlager, Donna Olendorf, American Zoo and Aquarium Association (2nd ed.). Detroit: Gale. ISBN 0-7876-5362-4. OCLC 49260053.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "New Zealand Birds | Birds | Gallery | Heavy-Footed Moa, Pachyornis elephantopus". www.nzbirds.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ↑ Worthy, T.H. (1990). "An analysis of the distribution and relative abundance of moa species (Aves: Dinornithiformes)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 17 (2): 213–241. doi:10.1080/03014223.1990.10422598. ISSN 0301-4223.
