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
P. elephantopus skeleton photographed by Roger Fenton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Order: Dinornithiformes
Family: Emeidae
Genus: Pachyornis
Species:
P. elephantopus
Binomial name
Pachyornis elephantopus
(Owen, 1856) Lydekker 1891 non Cracraft 1976 [1][2]
Synonyms
List
  • Dinornis elephantopus Owen, 1856
  • Euryapteryx elephantopus (Owen 1856) Hutton 1892
  • Dinornis queenslandiae De Vis, 1884
  • Pachyornis queenslandiae (De Vis 1884) Oliver 1949
  • Dromiceius queenslandiae (De Vis 1884) Miller 1963
  • Euryapteryx ponderosus Hutton, 1891 non Hamilton 1898
  • Pachyornis immanus Lydekker, 1891
  • Euryapteryx immanis (Lydekker 1891) Lambrecht 1933
  • Pachyornis inhabilis Hutton, 1893
  • Pachyornis major Hutton, 1875
  • Pachyornis rothschildi Lydekker, 1892
  • Pachyornis valgus Hutton, 1893
  • Euryapteryx crassa Benham 1910 non (Owen 1846) Hutton 1896
  • Pachyornis murihiku Oliver 1949

Description change

The heavy-footed moa was about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. It weighed 145 kg (320 lb).[4]

Discovery change

The heavy-footed moa was discovered by W.B.D. Mantell at Awamoa, near Oamaru.[4]

Distribution and Habitat change

The 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 change

The 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

  1. Brands, S. (2008)
  2. 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. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  3. 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. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "New Zealand Birds | Birds | Gallery | Heavy-Footed Moa, Pachyornis elephantopus". www.nzbirds.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  5. 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.