Moa may have been indigenous on Rakiura/Stewart Island, according to new research by the University of Otago and the Department of Conservation.
A moa skeleton was discovered on the island's West Ruggedy Beach by a DOC ranger and then analysed.
DNA analysis revealed the skeleton belonged to a South Island giant moa and radiocarbon dating showed it died around 700 years ago.
This was just after the arrival of Polynesians on the island.
"The findings suggested the South Island giant moa had died near to where it was found and represented a moa that naturally occurred on Rakiura and died a natural death," one of the authors, Dr Nic Rawlence, director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, said.
"We believe it is likely to be of natural origin, despite its post-human date."
Another author was Dr Alexander Verry from Otago University's Department of Zoology, who said:
"The excavation revealed a partial skeleton with no cut marks from stone tools, and we also discovered gizzard stones (thick-walled part of an animal's stomach) and a dark organic-rich layer of sand beneath the skeleton that was likely stained by the rotting moa and the plant contents of its gizzard."
The research team excavated the skeleton with the help of Dr Matthew Schmidt, senior heritage adviser at DOC.
This was done in close consultation with Murihiku Ngāi Tahu, kaitiaki and mana whenua of Rakiura/Stewart Island.
The findings have been published in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology, adding to a long-running debate about whether moa were indigenous to Rakiura/Stewart Island.
SHARE ME