Brief Description |
Part of a fibula, the splint-like bone that runs down the side of the tibiotarsus or shin bone in a moa. This bone was collected during a Museum excavation in 1936–37 from a mud hole near Makirikiri, Whanganui.
The Bush Moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) was a common inhabitant of wetter New Zealand forest, and the most widespread moa species. It was just over 1 m high at the shoulder, with females somewhat bigger than males. Its sharp-edged beak and the number of gizzard stones found with skeletons suggest it ate fibrous plant material. Like all moa species, the Bush Moa was wiped out by human hunting about 500 years ago.
|