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Bones, Moa, Various types

Bones, Moa, Various types

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Te Hikoi Museum

A collection of 20 moa bones. There are a number of different sizes and types with the box holding 14 knuckle bones of differing sizes, two claws, a possible tarsometatarsus, one rib, and two bones that would make up part of the leg. Moa were the largest terrestrial animals to inhabit New Zealand's forests and shrublands. There were nine distinct species of moa and they ranged drastically in size with the smallest - the bush moa - being roughly the size of a turkey, and the largest - the giant moa - reaching up to 3.6 metres tall. Moa were a staple in the diets of Māori in South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland and were hunted in great numbers. While it is unknown how exactly Māori hunted these giant birds, we do know that overhunting was one of the factors that led to the extinction of the moa in around 1450.

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  • Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ

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