A group of archaeologists discovered a claw from a moa (with muscles and flesh intact) while digging in a cave in New Zealand. Moa’s became extinct 700 - 800 years ago.

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[–]philosopher 5 insightful - 7 fun5 insightful - 6 fun6 insightful - 7 fun -  (1 child)

If we could grab some DNA, then maybe we could make Moa of them

[–]SierraKiloBravo[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

badum tsss

[–]Sw0rdofDam0cles 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It would be awesome if they cloned them and let them run amok. It could be like the Emu war in Australia. However, I doubt any cloned Moa's will grow to be as large as they were before the Maori showed up to wipe them out.

[–]SierraKiloBravo[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

In the movie in my head a cloned one escapes the lab and slowly picks off hikers in the South Island bush

[–]MrZak 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (10 children)

Fun fact, the overhunting and exctinction of moa by the maori's and the scarcity of recources it created is one of the reasons that Maori culture was so much more technically advanced then other societies when europeans arrived.

[–]iraelmossadreddit 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (9 children)

I don't know if I buy that story. I have seen the date of extiction ranging from 1455 all the way up to 1500 something. It seems like they are purposedly setting the date before the british came over to make it look like they didn't kill them. they had to remove a huge food source from the natives to control them just like they did with the buffalo... "an extremely low population exterminated the moa" yeah right... https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms6436

polynesian population of New Zealand would not have exceeded 2,000 individuals before extinction of moa

[–]MrZak 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Interesting stuff, I had always been told the reason large chunks of NZ are deforested are because the maori would burn back forests to flush out moa and other animals.

[–]iraelmossadreddit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

or they shot flaming cannon balls from the sea.. I read they were easy to kill because they fed them hot lava rocks...sure...

then when that wasn't enough they gave the locals enemy tribes muskets to raid them...

[–]MrZak 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The maori's won the first maori war you fucking dumbass.

[–]iraelmossadreddit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

sure...

[–]hajamieli 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Your article does not support your claim, quite the opposite. Did you even read the abstract? Previous estimates was that the Maori population wouldn't have exceeded 5000 before they exterminated the Moa, whereas this study shows it'd have been earlier and by just 2000 or fewer Maori.

[–]iraelmossadreddit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I was not using the article to support my claim.

[–]hajamieli 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Then what supports your claim? It seems to directly contradict what experts say about it and you've not presented anything to support it.

[–]iraelmossadreddit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

repeated history of british fucking shit up and lying about it changing history...

[–]hajamieli 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

In other words, you're pulling crackpot theories straight out of your ass backed by nothing but your shit.