When the firstspecimens were originallydescribed byRichard Owen in 1846, they were placed within thegenusDinornis as three different species. These remains would later be split off into their own genus,Emeus.[7] The other two species,E. casuarinus andE. huttonii are currently regarded as junior synonyms ofE. crassus, and the genus currently contains this single species. It has been long suspected that the "species" described asEmeus huttonii andE. crassus weremales andfemales, respectively, of a single species. This has been confirmed by analysis for sex-specific genetic markers ofDNA extracted from bone material; the females ofE. crassus were 15-25% larger than males.[8] This phenomenon —sexual dimorphism — is not uncommon amongst ratites, being also very pronounced inkiwi and the related moa genusDinornis.[citation needed]
Emeus was of average size, standing 1.5 to 1.8 metres (4.9–5.9 ft) tall, and weighing from 36 to 79kg.[9] Like other moa, it had no vestigialwing bones,hair-likefeathers (beige in this case), a longneck and large, powerfullegs with very short, strong tarsi.[10] Itstarsometatarsus was restricted in motion to the parasagittal plane, a condition much like that in most other ratites.[11] It also had asternum without a keel and a distinctivepalate.[10]Emeus had pelvic musculature poorly adapted for cursoriality.[12] Itsfeet were exceptionally wide compared to other moas, making it a very slow creature. Soft parts of its body, such as tracheal rings (cartilage) or remnants of skin have been found in the form of mummified specimens, as well as single bones and complete skeletons. As they neared the head, the feathers grew shorter, until they finally turned into coarse hair-like feathers; the head itself was probably bald.[13]
Eastern moa lived only on theSouth Island of New Zealand, inhabiting lowland habitats like forests, grasslands, dunelands, and shrublands.[10] During theLast Glacial Maximum, it was confined to a singleglacial refugium, from which its range expanded during the Holocene.[14] Human colonists (specifically theMāori, who called the animals "moa mōmona")[1] huntedEmeus into extinction with relative ease.E. crassus was the second most common species found at theWairau Bar site inMarlborough, where the remains of more than 4000 eaten moa were found. The species had gone extinct around the year 1400.[6]
^Benes, Josef (1979).Prehistoric Animals and Plants. London, UK: Hamlyn. p. 192.ISBN0-600-30341-1.
^abTennyson, Alan J. D. (2006).Extinct birds of New Zealand. Paul Martinson. Wellington, N.Z.: Te Papa Press. p. 34.ISBN978-0-909010-21-8.OCLC80016906.
^Owen, Richard (1846). "Description ofDinornis crassus".Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.1846: 46.
^abcDavies, S. J. J. F. (2003). "Moas". In Hutchins, Michael (ed.).Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 95–98.ISBN0-7876-5784-0.
Eastern Moa. Emeus crassus. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the bookExtinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
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