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Post Info TOPIC: New Zealand fossils
Blobrana


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Sphenodon
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New study gives weight to Darwin's theory of 'living fossils'

A team of researchers from the University of Bristol studying the 'living fossil' Sphenodon - or tuatara - have identified a new way to measure the evolutionary rate of these enigmatic creatures, giving credence to Darwin's theory of 'living fossils'.
The tuatara is a relatively large lizard-like animal that once lived on the main islands of New Zealand but has been pushed to smaller, offshore islands by human activity. Tuataras are not lizards, although they share a common ancestor from about 240 million years ago, and have survived as an independent evolutionary line for all that time.
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Blobrana


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RE: New Zealand fossils
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200 NZ Fossils Profiled In New Photographic Guide

A new photographic guide of New Zealand fossils is expected to become a landmark reference for local fossil hunters for many years.
The 140-page book has been written by five GNS Science paleontologists to help the public identify fossils they are likely to encounter. It is part of the New Holland Publications series of New Zealand photographic guide books.
It focuses on about 200 animal and plant fossils commonly found in New Zealand. It covers a wide geological time scale - from 514 million years (Cambrian time) to the present. This includes representative fossils from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic periods.
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Blobrana


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Giant moa had climate change figured out

An international team of scientists involving researchers from the University of Adelaide has used ancient DNA from bones of giant extinct New Zealand birds to show that significant climate and environmental changes did not have a large impact on their populations.
The population size of the giant moa remained stable over the past 40,000 years until the arrival of humans in New Zealand around 1280 AD.
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Blobrana


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Megalapteryx didinus
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The Lesser Megalapteryx or Upland Moa (Megalapteryx didinus) was a flightless bird native to the northern part of New Zealand. It became extinct around the 14th century AD. Early on it was possible that they could take flight but as they evolved they grew in size, with the larger ones reaching nearly 500 pounds and standing 12 feet high.
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Blobrana


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RE: New Zealand fossils
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Ancient eggshell yields its DNA

Researchers have found that eggshells of extinct bird species are a rich source of preserved DNA.
An international team isolated the delicate DNA molecules of species including the massive "elephant birds" of the genus Aepyorni.
The Proceedings of the Royal Society B research demonstrated the approach also on emu, ducks and the extinct moa.
The team says that the technique will enable researchers to learn more about ancient birds and why they died out.
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Blobrana


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What kinds of organisms lived on New Zealand's rocks around 48 million years ago?
That was the focus of research by Victoria University PhD graduate Dr Chris Clowes.
As part of his PhD research, he focused specifically on the dinoflagellates themselves as biological entities and their relationship to one another.
A total of 80 rock samples were provided by Geological and Nuclear Sciences which were sourced from a number of localities around New Zealand. They are believed to be between 48 and 34 million years old.
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Blobrana


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Moa 'flew from South America'

Ancestors of New Zealand's extinct flightless bird, the moa, probably flew here from South America and then lost the ability to fly home.
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Blobrana


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Giant moa
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DNA suggests Moa once flew

The research, by Professor David Penny, Elizabeth Crimp and Gillian Gibb of the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, has found that moa were closely related to the tinamou, a breed of South American birds.
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Blobrana


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RE: New Zealand fossils
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Four different species of moa have been uncovered after analysis of prehistoric feathers, thought to be at least 2500 years old, which were recovered from caves in New Zealand.
The giant moa birds had wing spans of up to 2.5m and could weigh in at 250kg. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand forests and shrub land until they quickly became extinct after the Maori arrived in around 1280AD and began to hunt them.

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Blobrana


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Posts: 131433
Date:
Giant moa
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Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide and Landcare Research in New Zealand have identified four different moa species after retrieving ancient DNA from moa feathers believed to be at least 2500 years old.
The giant birds - measuring up to 2.5 metres and weighing 250 kilograms - were the dominant animals in New Zealand's pre-human environment but were quickly exterminated after the arrival of the Maori around 1280AD.

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