Biology:Mantell's moa

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Short description: Extinct species of bird


Mantell's moa
Temporal range: Pleistocene- Late Holocene
Pachyornis geranoides (AM LB5991) (cropped).jpg
from the collection of Auckland Museum
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Infraclass: Palaeognathae
Order: Dinornithiformes
Family: Emeidae
Genus: Pachyornis
Species:
P. geranoides
Binomial name
Pachyornis geranoides
(Owen, 1848)[1][2]
Synonyms

Mantell's moa (Pachyornis geranoides) also known as Mappin's moa[3] is an extinct species of moa from the North Island of New Zealand.[4] Its habitat was the lowlands (shrublands, grasslands, dunelands, and forests).[5] The moa were ratites, flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of the ratites is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas that they have been found in.[5]

Its name is in honour of New Zealand naturalist and politician Walter Mantell.

Footnotes

References

Wikidata ☰ Q3734974 entry