Moa facts

So what is a Moa you ask..

Well they are a now extinct bird of New Zealand that used to roam the forests and plains many hundred years ago.

Here are ten facts about them,

Number One: The largest species of them grew to about 3.6m (12 foot) high!

Number Two: These largest ones also weighed about 250kg (550lb)

Number Three: Most of them died out around 1500AD, however there are still believed to be some hiding in deep parts of New Zealand

Number Four: Their only predator before humans was the Worlds Largest Eagle (Haast Eagle)

Number Five: You can still find their bones today if you look in the right places in New Zealand (caves, swamps and sand dunes)

Number Six: There is a skeleton of a Moa on display in the main foyer of the Natural History Museum

Number Seven: Scientists can work out how fast they grew by looking at the growth rings in their fossilised leg bones

Number Eight: They were first identified in 1893 by the founder of the Natural History Museum, Richard Owen

Number Nine: The smallest Moa species were only about the size of a turkey

Number Ten: A total of only 36 whole moa eggs exist in Museum collections

3D Animation about the Mighty Moa