  Heinrich Harder (1858-1935)   Why Did New Zealand's Moas Go
Extinct?  For millions of years, nine species of large,
flightless birds known as moas (Dinornithiformes) thrived in New
Zealand. Then, about 600 years ago, they abruptly went extinct.
Their die-off coincided with the arrival of the first humans on
the islands in the late 13th century, and scientists have long
wondered what role hunting by Homo sapiens played in the moas’
decline. Did we alone drive the giant birds over the brink, or
were they already on their way out thanks to disease and
volcanic eruptions? Now, a new genetic study of moa fossils
points to humankind as the sole perpetrator of the birds’
extinction. The study adds to an ongoing debate about whether
past peoples lived and hunted animals in a sustainable manner or
were largely to blame for the extermination of numerous species.
“The paper presents a very convincing case of extinction due to
humans,” says Carles Lalueza-Fox, an evolutionary biologist at
the Institute of Evolutionary