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Bones Of Giant Birds Pose Mating Mystery
Independent (UK) ^
| 9-11-2003
| Steve Connor
Posted on 09/10/2003 3:39:39 PM PDT by blam
Bones of giant birds pose mating mystery
By Steve Connor
11 September 2003
A study of the fossilised bones of a giant bird which died out about 800 years ago has revealed that the female was three times the size of the male.
Scientists discovered that the largest giant moa birds were not a separate species, as originally thought, but an extreme example of sexual dimorphism. A study of the DNA extracted from the bones of large and small moas revealed that the females were huge, weighing up to 250kg and standing up to three metres tall. The males were puny, weighing as little as 60kg, and were about one metre tall.
This raises the question of how the moa cocks were able to mate with their huge hens.
Professor Alan Cooper, director of Oxford University's Ancient Biomolecules Centre, said the findings were unexpected because it was widely thought that large, small and medium-sized moa belonged to separate species that did not interbreed.
He said: "Such a large difference between the sexes has never been seen before, and consequently nobody considered that these different groups of bones could actually belong to the same species. It raises concerns about the logistics of mating - but in the emu for example, the female sits during mating. If this was the case with the moa, it would have looked like a horse and jockey."
The study, published today in the journal Nature, analysed DNA extracted from the bones of moa that lived in swamps and caves in New Zealand. Moa died out after the arrival of the Maori, around AD1100, who hunted the birds to extinction.
Professor Cooper said: "When we examined genes that evolve very rapidly we could find no consistent differences between tiny and giant [moa] specimens. When we looked at sex-linked genes all the medium and giant individuals showed up as femaleswhile the males were the little ones."
It is the first time that scientists have identified the sex of an extinct animal using DNA.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: birds; bones; getherdrunkstupid; giant; godsgravesglyphs; mating; mystery
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To: shaggy eel
"If you can get hold of a book called "Kiwis at the crossroads" by Geoff McDonald, it enlarges on how the Maori cause is being used to cause racial problems in New Zealand." Thanks, I'm familiar with the strife. I think the NZ government just federalized all the beaches/shorelines to keep the Maori from claming them. (etc.)
41
posted on
09/10/2003 6:02:53 PM PDT
by
blam
To: Publius6961
The males all lost their ladders. Casanunder, anyone? Ye Gods, Terry Pratchett does know everything!
42
posted on
09/10/2003 6:06:10 PM PDT
by
Grut
To: shaggy eel
43
posted on
09/10/2003 6:08:27 PM PDT
by
blam
To: Porterville
fun to ride until your friends see you.
To: LaMudBug
No way! That's crazy.
To: blam
Sounds like Long Island.
To: blam
Sounds like Long Island.
To: blam
Sounds like Long Island.
To: blam
Sounds like Long Island.
To: blam
Sounds like Long Island.
To: Xenalyte; blam; humblegunner; Allegra
Such a large difference between the sexes has never been seen before This guy has obviously never seen the Springer show.
51
posted on
09/10/2003 6:44:06 PM PDT
by
Bacon Man
(Bacon is never wrong but occasionally fried.)
To: blam
Moas don't kiss and tell, hence the mystery.
To: blam
,,, the Treaty of Waitangi guaranteed Maori (as a conquered race) the same rights as settlers in New Zealand, under the Queen of England. New Zealand was proclaimed a
Dominion in 1910 and is self governing, apart from having a Governor-General to rubber stamp significant legislation as the Queen's representative and we also retain London's Privy Council as a last means of legal appeal - a step that Helen Klark and Margaret Wilson are very keen to abolish in their lust for total power.
The government has always maintained a measure called "The Queen's Chain", which is 66 feet from where the tide falls on beaches, for the public to roam freely on beaches. Under the Treaty, a section of Maoris are claiming ownership of seabed and foreshore. What a gravy train this will be for lawyers. What an electoral disaster in the making for Labour. Here's what a segment of the population has to say about it...
To: shaggy eel; New Zealander; Neophyte
<< Moa died out after the arrival of the Maori
,,, what a coincidence - so did the Morioris. >>
That's 'cause the bastards killed and ate us all.
All except my ancestors.
Which is why us descendents of the original inhabitants -- us aboriginies -- us indigenous -- are comin' back to reclaim our beaches and foreshores.
And to eat some [More] nice Maori ladies.
Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Say no more!
54
posted on
09/10/2003 11:04:22 PM PDT
by
Brian Allen
( Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God - Thomas Jefferson)
To: Brian Allen
BUMP for Masterton's smoothest Moriori!
55
posted on
09/11/2003 1:43:20 PM PDT
by
shaggy eel
(Kia ora Brian Allen!! - national taonga!)
To: blam
Maori legends of great fires destroying forests and the moa bird, to be associated to... It's obvious that the Moa had commited suicide by the way of great farting and so adding to the green house effect produced by the great fires in question.
And since the Maori of the day had no Labour government to tax them for every fart, their's or the birds', the story ended as we know it to end....
Let us not forget this historical lesson and stop whining about future flatulence tax.
56
posted on
09/24/2003 4:06:47 AM PDT
by
Neophyte
(Nazists, Communists, Islamists... what the heck is the difference?)
To: blam
"Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean..."
57
posted on
09/24/2003 4:20:22 AM PDT
by
Jonah Hex
(kittens are only dangerous if you're a 'Rat.)
To: Grut
Casanunder? You mean ze world's second-greatest lover?
"I may be second greatest, but I try harder."
Ook.
58
posted on
09/24/2003 4:22:06 AM PDT
by
Jonah Hex
(kittens are only dangerous if you're a 'Rat.)
To: isthisnickcool
Don't ever do that again! Some of us have heart conditions.
59
posted on
09/24/2003 4:24:49 AM PDT
by
Coastie
(I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused- ec)
To: LaMudBug
Sounds like a slut to me.
The St. Bernard, not your friend.
60
posted on
09/24/2003 5:24:45 AM PDT
by
auggy
(http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-DownhomeKY /// Check out My USA Photo album & Fat Files)
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