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https://theconversation.com/ghosts-of-species-past-shedding-new-light-on-the-demise-of-nzs-moa-can-help-other-flightless-birds-228362>
"New Zealand was once home to giant flightless birds called moa. They had grown
accustomed to life without predators. So the arrival of humans in the mid-13th
century presented a massive – and ultimately insurmountable – challenge to
their existence.
Moa were unable to cope with even low levels of hunting by people. All nine
species of moa were driven to extinction soon after first contact with humans.
These moa populations collapsed and disappeared so swiftly it seemed impossible
to trace their declines, until now.
In our new research, we reconstructed patterns of population decline, range
contraction and extinction for six moa species. We simulated interactions of
moa with humans and their surroundings using hundreds of thousands of
scenarios. Then we validated these simulations against information from
fossils.
We found all six species collapsed and converged on the cold, isolated
mountains of New Zealand’s North and South Islands. These happen to be the same
sites where the last of New Zealand’s flightless birds can be found today."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
