Moa Finds

Despite an exhaustive search using the most sophisticated detection equipment the "Pegasus" Expedition did not find any living Moa anywhere in New Zealand.  It was concluded that, unfortunately, the species had been hunted to extinction by the Maori by around 1450.

Below - Moa Skull photographed by electron spectroscope

(chick of the South Island Giant Moa (Dinornis robustus),

found in the midden of a pa beside Lake Never Never - Fiordland):

Below - Moa Egg - South Island Giant Moa (Dinornis robustus)
Found floating in a small lake beneath the mountain "Lady of the Snows" - NW Fiordland:

Moa eggs varied in size according to the species - the largest (above) being over 30cm tall. All Moa eggs had extremely thin shells, which made them easy pickings for the Polynesian rat (kiore) which accompanied the Maori migrations. Since the Moa were slow-breeding and only laid one egg at a time, aggressive egg predation greatly hastened their extinction.

Below - naturalist Lillian with Moa Egg:

Below - Moa coprolite (faeces)
Found in a hidden cave on the bank of Wild Natives River, NW Fiordland:

Laboratory analysis of specimens such as this can provide valuable information as to the diet of the Moa.

Below - Moa Femur (Thigh Bone)
Found in a small valley between Terror Peak and the Devil's Armchair, NW Fiordland.
South Island Giant Moa (Dinornis robustus) - the largest Moa species which stood some three meters (nine feet) high. This bird would have weighed over 160 kilograms:

Below - Lower Vertaebra
South Island Giant Moa (Dinornis robustus). Sold to the expedition by an enterprising Maori youth for twenty gold sovereigns at Lake Unknown, below Mount Chaos, NW Fiordland.