Shane Wright - Senior Lecturer Faculty of Science, Biological Sciences, University of Auckland Shane is a Biogeographer teaching at the University of Auckland who has worked in Oceania for many decades. In this fascinating talk he'll update us on the latest research in regards to the moa. In the vacuum created by an absence of large terrestrial mammals primeval New Zealand nonetheless hosted a significant biomass of large avian herbivores collectively referred to as Moa. This diversity comprised 8/9 species and they appear to have had a distinctive co-evolutionary impact on the New Zealand flora. This was an archaic lineage of birds known as Palaeognaths which may have been a part of the original Gondwanan rifting event that detached the New Zealand craton from Antarctica some 80 million years ago. This lecture will examine the current state of knowledge around the history, diversity and ecological role of Moa in this country.
Picture: the Little Bush Moa - credit Wren Lu - which might have been the species roaming in our Waitakere river valleys!
We are in our temporary location of the Ranui Community House, 474 Swanson Road, opposite the Ranui Library.
Non members welcome, join us for supper afterwards. Koha appreciated to cover hall hire. For further information see below, ph Liz 0274 762732, lizanstey@hotmail.com