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moa
The moa〔In Māori words do not use ''s'' to indicate plural, and thus "moa" is both plural and singular. Some English speakers apply this rule to their use of the word within English, although others use the regularly formed English plural "moas".〕〔In some other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, Cook Islands Maori, Samoan...), "moa" is the generic name for chicken, fowl ((Dictionary of the Tahitian Academy ); Jasper Buse, Raututi Taringa, "Cook islands Maori Dictionary" (1995); (Samoan lexicon ))〕 were nine species (in six genera) of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand.〔OSNZ (2009)〕 The two largest species, ''Dinornis robustus'' and ''Dinornis novaezelandiae'', reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about .〔Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)〕 When Polynesians settled New Zealand in CE 1280, the moa population was about 58,000.〔
Moa belong to the order Dinornithiformes, traditionally placed in the ratite group.〔 However, their closest relatives have been found by genetic studies to be the flighted South American tinamous, once considered to be a sister group to ratites.〔 The eleven〔 species of moa were the only wingless birds, lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand's forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, and until the arrival of the Māori were hunted only by the Haast's eagle. Moa extinction occurred in CE 1440 ± 20 years, primarily due to overhunting by Māori.
==Description==
Although moa skeletons were traditionally reconstructed in an upright position to create impressive height, analysis of their vertebral articulation indicates that they probably carried their heads forward,〔Worthy & Holdaway (2002)〕 in the manner of a kiwi. The spine was attached to the rear of the head rather than the base, indicating the horizontal alignment. This would have allowed them to graze on low-elevation vegetation, while being able to lift their heads and browse trees when necessary. This has resulted in a reconsideration of the height of larger moa.
Although there is no surviving record of what sounds moa made, some idea of their calls can be gained from fossil evidence. The trachea of moa were supported by many small rings of bone known as tracheal rings. Excavation of these rings from articulated skeletons has shown that at least two moa genera (''Euryapteryx'' and ''Emeus'') exhibited tracheal elongation, that is, their trachea were up to 1 metre (3 ft) long and formed a large loop within the body cavity.〔 These are the only ratites known to exhibit this feature, which is also present in several other bird groups including swans, cranes, and guinea fowl. The feature is associated with deep, resonant vocalisations that can travel long distances.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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