Megalapteryx didinus
| Upland Moa | |
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| Mounted skeleton | |
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Extinct (c.1500)
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Superorder: | Paleognathae |
| Order: | †Dinornithiformes |
| Family: | †Megalapterygidae |
| Genus: |
†Megalapteryx Haast |
| Species: | †M. didinus |
| Binomial name | |
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Megalapteryx didinus (Owen, 1883) |
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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The upland Moa (Megalapteryx didinus) was a species of Moa bird endemic to New Zealand. It was a member of the ratite family, a type of flightless bird with no keel on the sternum. It was the last Moa species to become extinct, vanishing around 1500 AD.
In 2005, a genetic study suggested that M. benhami, which had previously been considered a junior synonym of M. didinus, may have been a valid species after all.
The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce et al.:
Megalapteryx didinus
At less than 1 meter tall and about 17 to 34 kilograms, the upland moa was among the smallest of the Moa species. Unlike other Moas, it had feathers covering all of its body but the beak and the soles of its feet, an adaptation to its cold environment. Scientists believed in the past that the upland moa held its neck and head upright; however, it actually carried itself in a stooped posture with its head level to its back.This would have helped it travel through the abundant vegetation in its habitat, whereas an extended neck would have been more suited to open spaces. It had no wings or tail.
The upland Moa lived only on New Zealand's South Island, in mountains and subalpine regions. They traveled to elevations as high as 2000 m (7000 ft).
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