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Why Did New Zealand's Moas Go Extinct?
sciencehabit writes "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."
and tasty!
I'm glad they are gone, as the Haast's Eagle would still be here if they were around ... and I'm not keen on walking about while a bird of prey with a 3 meter wingspan looked down on me as a snack!
Easy to hunt. Nests vulnerable. Virus brought in by the humans (in a classical reverse of bird flu!) Competed for similar resources?
Possibly the eggs or feathers made great hats.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
One look at the current state of the world's ecosystems and a small amount of insight into human nature should answer that question easily.
Really a new study? The Thousands of Moa bones removed from Maori middens wasn't a clue? Or the stories passed down about the Maori hunting the Moa also isn't a clue? No need a genetic study to prove it, Maybe these researches could do a genetic study on JFK and tell us who shot him?
Humans hunted something in a sustainable manner? Sure, if they could not exterminate it.
lol, over a 4.4? Come to NZ and experience 6 - 8's
History is replete with examples of humankind's utter selfish stupid short sightedness. Is there really any doubt of this?
Something that wasn't obvious already...
We drove hundreds of species to extinction due to over hunting, this is nothing new.
tend to tag along with people and disrupt indigenous species.
And by PETA, of course I mean People Eat Tasty Animals.
Dodo, Moa, SSDD.
"Like many animals that evolved in isolation from significant predators, the Dodo was entirely fearless of humans. This fearlessness and its inability to fly made the Dodo easy prey for sailors"
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 tragedy of the commons ain't new. We call it human nature. Some indigenous peoples had it right, for example native Americans on the west coast and around that area; they had fairly strict rules on land management and engaged in regular controlled burns. On the other hand, just go to the middle of the nation and you've got natives burning down forests to make more plains land for more buffalo. Not exactly a carbon sequestration strategy. I've heard before that Europe would have been completely deforested if the black plague didn't put a crimp in various ambitions. Hooray for disease, I guess.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I know when other people are around, I cannot use the bathroom. Just too caught up in knowing there are other people around. What if the birds had the same problem and since the people never went away, they just died.
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
There's actually a debate?
The noble savage is a character of the imagination.
Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death.
If in doubt always blame the humans. We need a good nuclear war. Sheesh.
01/01/01
Oh great, now creationist-conservationists can blame us for the extinction of the dinosaurs too!
Their dogs. I bet the dogs on their own could have done the job.
Oblig by George Carlin : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Elok
That's why we started animal husbandry to begin with. Animal wifery was started for a much different reason.
Really, every other major predator can chow down to their heart's content, screwing sustainability with long, hard strokes, and they get a pass, because they are furry and noble-looking in posters.
But humans? Nay! Once you become self-aware you have to be sustainable, stewards of the Earth, resurrect the mammoth, replant forests, self-flaggelate for our unending sins, yadda yadda.
Here's a hint for you - humans are animals. Eat-Fuck-Kill. That has been our mantra ever since we first banged two rocks together. Now it is Eat (Vegetarian) Fuck (only our spouses, with condoms) Kill (never, unless the government says it is OK). $It's all our fault, for any value of $It.
I wish I was a wolf.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
He discusses, in his view, that the idea of native or aboriginal humans living in perfect harmony with nature is a myth.
Why Does SlashDot Insist On Posting Fucking Stupid Stories?
The Maori didn't use bows and arrows.
New Zealand is so isolated that other than three species of small bat, no mammals whatever evolved in NZ until the day the Maori landed. So we have a Colorado-sized pair of islands inhabited by an assortment of species too ridiculous even for Australia, and with no adaptation to the presence of animals. There's the giant earthworm that glows in the dark: ...the three-eyed lizard... ...the living bug zapper... ...and the 12-foot tall ground-dwelling bird - no animals to run from, remember, that was unfortunately delicious:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/n...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...
http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...
The Maori had no weapons more advanced than clubs, but that was all they needed. Think of it as the world's first, biggest, most environmentally-insensitive tailgate party, after which the species was no moa.
Are you serious? We've had stronger earthquakes here in Oklahoma and there was damage to maybe two houses.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
maybe redirect ALL those prayers to Chile, with their 6.7 earthquake, which is more than 100's more severe than California's, and with probably 100 times less ability to deal with the effects.
when the big one hits, and the ocean waters come flooding in to make all-new beachfront property, you all will be electrocuted by your electric vehicles.
good riddance.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
maybe redirect ALL those prayers to Chile, with their 6.7 earthquake, which is more than 100's more severe than California's, and with probably 100 times less ability to deal with the effects.
when the big one hits, and the ocean waters come flooding in to make all-new beachfront property, you all will be electrocuted by your electric vehicles.
good riddance.
The one in Chile a couple years ago was 8.8, so 80 times the strength of the 7.0 one that devastated Haiti. My wife has been through a 7.9 in Peru, about twice as strong as the 1906 San Francisco quake. People in Peru and Chile don't even get out of bed for a 4.4 quake.
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
...they were delicious!
Table-ized A.I.
You introduce a carnivore to an isolated environment where a species or group of species' survived that went extinct everywhere else because of carnivores they could not outrun, outsmart or outbreed, and just survived because no such carnivores existed where they survived.
Take a wild guess what's going to happen.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Over the last few centuries there has been a stereotypically romanticized view of the natives in the jungles and grass plains around the world as living in harmony with the nature, until the white man came. That pathetic misconception is perpetuated by their old wise men, typically alcoholics and in turn romanticizing anything from their grandfathers childhood. Good to see some white man high-tech arguments pointing fingers at the scum who'd better invent their own refrigerators before complaining. I'm fed up with romanticized natives.
?nobeta=1 doesn't work
Yes, in exactly the same way that the existence of fossils adds to an ongoing debate about whether the Earth was created 6000 years ago.
WHAT THE FUCK
I don't think anybody here will be praying since we don't believe in your invisible grand skydaddy. So take your religious nuttery and shove it up your ass, you delusional fool!
"So for those who feel all puffy and bad about evil humans"
You've missed a rather crucial difference between animals and humans - we can reflect on the future and think about the consequences of our actions. we have NO excuse to hunt a species to extinction and destroy the enviroment because we know what the outcome will be. Animals pretty much work on instinct and even the ones that do apparently have some limited cogitation - its pretty damn unlikely they have the ability to think years ahead when they hunt for their lunch or reproduce.
The Australian megafauna were similarly hunted to extinction when man arrived.
We're just too efficient at dominating the ecosystem.
The rabbits here are just as bad!
Easter Island is a warning - beware the rabbit!
I bet fried moa is better than chicken.
Kasuari bird still exist on papua. But being hunted by papua people.
It is well known the humans never hunted in a sustainable way.
The only one claiming a debate are people that fall for the naturalistic fallacy.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"maybe redirect ALL those prayers to Chile, "
Or, you know, do something that actually helps.
"when the big one hits, and the ocean waters come flooding in to make all-new beachfront property, "
That can't happen, you ignorant fool.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
A) There are different types of earthquake
B) There are different kinds of ground.
C) Earthquakes happen for different lengths of time
D) I am assuming he is not serious, but you post show a pretty ignorant view of earthquakes
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
According to TFA, the work was based on extensive analysis of Moa genetic material obtained from bones. The evidence was that the Moa was in fact thriving (becoming more genetically diverse) until humans came along and ate everything Moa-related. Eggs, adults, you name it. This makes me wonder if the Moa might be a better candidate for cloning and reintroduction than something like a Mammoth. Use an Ostrich as the donor and then let them loose on the South Island. NZ is pretty eco-aware these days so it seems like they would do just fine.
You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
Fuck off. You're basically saying there was a non event in California... get ready for the end of the world! You are right that the Richter scale is logarithmic, but even a seismic event 100x stronger would not be much concern.
Oddly enough, I was in bed when that 4.4 hit and I didn't bother getting up either.
If they had no natural enemies, they would have lost all fear of other forms of life via evolutionary means, so when "man" came along, it was just another creature it didn't need to be worried about.
There's the problem right there - even when they were being killed in front of other moas, they lacked the link in their brains that told them to get the hell out of there for their own safety.
I have always been impressed by the way the great chief Hongi Hika could be born before significant European contact, then arrange to take himself all the way to England to bring back a boat load of muskets to feed his people.
Yes, they don't exist Noa Moa.