ExtinctZoo - Extinct Animals The Polynesians Saw

Episode Date: May 25, 2025

Would you believe me that during the crusades, their still existed on earth not one but multiple giant animals that were the stuff of legends, and they could all be found in one place? Well, this is the truth...

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Co-Pilot handles the spreadsheets. Learn more at M365Copilot.com slash work. As far as real-life places go, New Zealand is a land that's pretty hard to beat in the nature department, and it boasts some of the most unique wildlife on the entire planet. After all, literally 40% of its species can only be found there, and many of them are what we would consider odd, or at least not normal. But I guess that's what you get when you isolate a bunch of islands for over 20 million years, and then throw in some unique geography and a lot of volcanism.

So it may not be a surprise to hear then that New Zealand of the past was even crazier than today. But the surprising thing is you don't actually have to go there. that far back to see it. And actually, modern humans got to experience a lot of its now-extinct wonders, though only a specific small group of humans, namely the Maori. The Maori were, as far as we know, the first humans who have inhabited New Zealand, seeing that no settlements before theirs are known of through concrete evidence. And while an exact date is unknown, it's not that they arrived no earlier than 1250 AD. In other words, possibly 775 years ago, which to put that into perspective was the same time when the Eighth Crusade was raging on halfway across the world.

So in the grand scheme of things, this is like yesterday, and yet the Maori had unknowingly stumbled upon a lost world, encountering some animals that are a bit hard to believe were still around in the medieval ages. Currently, the country is one essentially ran by birds. And yet somehow these animals once held even more power, so you could say. And you wouldn't have seen them just buzzing around in the sky, but also stomping along on the ground too, as it was here that a group of giant flightless birds resided for millions of years, the dinarithiforms, or more commonly known as the moas. And when humans first arrived, there was not just one, but nine different species of moas that called the island's home. Overall, they shared a few key general traits, including relatively

huge bodies for a bird, forward-facing heads like an overgrown kiwi, reduced wings, and stocky legs. And they were found on both of the main islands in virtually every area, and would possibly be the first thing you'd encounter, seeing they were strong and not only size, but also numbers, with population estimates being as high as 2.5 million. In reflecting this, paleontologists have so far recovered hundreds of thousands of bones belonging to them. Of the nine identified types, paleontologists ended up distinguishing two distinct kinds of moas, the lesser and greater ones, who between them ranged from being the size of a turkey all the way to a fair-sized lion. And yes, you heard that right, lion, with a king among them having been the South Island giant Moa, known by the Maurias,

Moa Nunui. Not only was it the biggest Moa, clocking into 250 kilograms or 550 pounds, but it was also one of the tallest birds ever, and when stretching its neck it would have registered in at a whopping 3.6 meters or 11 foot 10 inches tall, making it not just the 14th heaviest bird of all time, but also likely the tallest, only possibly beat by none other than its very own twin, the northern giant moa, which was a bit smaller overall, but had a body plan that may have made it a smidge taller. And besides the greater moas, even the lesser moas, despite their name, were still giant by current standards. And given this group somewhat off-putting appearances,

you may think these guys were terror bird-like killers. Yet in reality, there were something of gentle giants, preferring plants over meat. Specifically, we know from fossilized contents that they feasted on a variety of not only plant species, but also plant parts, including the leaves from both trees and shrubs, as well as the twigs, using their large beaks to shear off vegetation and acting in many ways like large grazing mammals found elsewhere, like horses, for example. Fossils further tell us that while the two islands shared some species, most were distinct to the north or south, and inhabited many different habitats, including forests, mountains, coastal areas, you name it. In those big legs you see, while those might have been used for

defense. As Maori stories state, that along with being swift runners, they could also defend themselves with vicious kicks, utilizing their powerful muscles and large claws. And so with all this combined, they were quite the bird. So it does make you wonder how could nine different moas, and really an entire order, disappear in under a thousand years? Well, we only really need to ask ourselves, as the current consensus is that while they were quick, they could not outrun the Maori, who almost immediately started to hunt them upon arrival, utilizing spears, and traps. And it seems that every kind got not only the pointy end of the stick, but also the short end. And they were often killed for not only their plentiful meat, but also their bones,

which could then be used to manufacture tools such as ornaments, fish hooks, points, and so on. Amazingly enough, we also know from Maori tradition how they like to cook the moa, typically using a kind of wood coming from the koromiko to flavor the meat. And then, in addition to direct killings by humans, man-made fires aided in the moa's decline through habitat loss, while dogs brought over may have also eradicated huge amounts of moa chicks, which all culminated in a relatively quick downfall for these giants, and by as early as the 1500s, all may have been wiped out. Now it's hard to say for sure the exact time frame of their downfall, as dating to specific years can be challenging, and there's actually two species that might have held on for extended

time, those being the Broadbilled Moa and our friend, the Giant Southern Moa, who based on dated bones found in Canterbury possibly persisted until 1952. Although, the 1750s is generally thought to be its last curtain call, and in recent times more support has come out that all Moas may have actually disappeared in just 100 years. This being said, ever since their disappearance, many people have come forth with reported sightings of their prolonged survival. In the 1800s in particular, seemed to be a hot time for this, with multiple European explorers having claimed to see emu-like birds on the shore of the islands, or that they had stumbled upon absolutely massive bird tracks, yet these claims were never fully verified. Meanwhile, the Maori themselves have

also stated that up to the 1770s, they could still sometimes encounter the occasional moa when hunting. But again, no concrete proof of this was ever gathered either. And even now, the occasional author likes to stipulate that tiny populations of smaller moas may continue to survive in remote areas such as southwestland and fjordland. However, the overall consensus is that these moas are sadly long gone. And in their downfall, they did not end up leaving Earth alone, as their disappearance from the food chain eventually led to the extinction of another animal, a fellow bird. Yet this one was a bit meaner, and was before humans the undisputed apex predator of New Zealand, the host eagle. Prior to our presence, there was actually only three terrestrial

mammals on the islands, all rather small bats, resulting in birds like the moas, enjoying extreme in such gigantism due to the lack of competition. And the host eagle got in on this too. Only difference being that where Moas took the role of herbivorous mammals, the eagles took the job of a lion and is swelled to extreme sizes. In fact, the host eagle is the biggest eagle we currently know of to have ever existed, which is funny considering its closest relative is an eagle literally named the little eagle after its small stature. And island gigantism certainly did a number on the host eagle, as fossils suggest a maximum wingspan of 3 meters or 10 feet across, and a weight that's more than double that of the current largest extant eagle. So basically, it's about as close to the Lord of the Rings

eagles we'll ever get. Well, I hope at least. But despite these impressive numbers, it actually had proportionally small wings, leading paleontologists to hypothesize that its reduced wings was an adaptation for navigating densely forested areas. Thankfully for many of the animals on the island, the Hoss Eagle, despite their ability to fly, was mainly restricted to just a southern island and small parts of the northern island, where in the absence of competition, it held sole rain over the Moas, who were its main prey, along with other larger birds, which it killed by utilizing its large and immensely powerful legs, plus some nasty long claws or talons that could dig deep into a Moa's body. Now, even though it was designed to kill Moas,

it still wasn't a small task, seeing that its prey could be multiple, or even dozens of times larger than itself, which thus led to it evolving a pretty, a disturbing way of killing. You see, the The host eagle didn't have a beak like those of its kind. Rather, it had one that resembled the beak of a condor vulture, which if you don't know, utilizes a specialized mouth to tear rotten flesh. However, in the case of our eagle friend, researchers think it wielded its beak as a finisher, so to speak, striking and tearing into the moa's vulnerable areas, and causing death through blood loss and evisceration. In a more detailed analysis on its hunting technique, suggested that a host eagle would first spot a moa,

then slam into it at high speeds, knocking it down, while using its texeriteite. talent to restrain the poor victim before finishing the moa off with catastrophic beak strikes. So not a great way to go. And we know for a fact that it was very successful at doing this, as many moa bones have been found full of puncture marks that were clearly made by this massive eagle. And currently, researchers believe that the Haas eagle preyed on every kind of moa on the island, and that at any given time, 4,500 breeding pairs could have called New Zealand home, which is a bit too abundant for comfort if you ask me. And for possibly over a million years, the Hosteagles enjoyed total rain over their domain, a party which was eventually crashed by

us. They had been isolated for the rest of the world for an exceedingly long time, and now they suddenly had to share the island the most dominant predator in history, and soon enough the Maori and eagles found themselves at a crossroad competing over prey. Naturally, the Maori held an edge thanks their adaptability and weapons, yet they were still very impressed by the giant killer eagle, and cave art left by them depicts the Hoss eagle in numerous scenarios. Not to mention that this this beast was legendary enough to literally become a part of the Maori's own legends, or at least this is a possibility, as it's generally agreed that the monstrous bird, Poakai, from Maori mythology, was based directly off of the Haas eagle.

And certain aspects about the Poakai seems to suggest that the eagle did not go down without a fight, as not only was reported to hunt Moas, but also kill the occasional human here and there. With one idea being that small defenseless children might have been attacked when the opportunity arose. I mean, after all, it would have designed to kill lion-sized prey, so a small human, especially one without weapons, doesn't seem like a far stretch. However, not even the stuff of legends could survive the prowess of mankind. But it wasn't that Maori necessarily killed these eagles off, but rather that they killed what they ate, and thus eventually starving them. Additionally, pesky controlled fires and the introduction of Polynesian rats, which ate their eggs, all combined to drastically lower host eagle numbers. And not so long after the demise of the Moas, they too had vanished, with the latest estimates

suggesting an extinction date between 1440 and 1445, so nearly 200 years after humans first encountered them. And while they might not have survived long after human arrival, the fact that more than 500 years later, stories about them have persisted just serve as a testament to their awesomeness. And you know what else is awesome, or would be awesome, is hitting that oh-so-be subscribe button. I mean, it's basically calling your name. So clearly, birds really got the short end of the stick. But this does kind of add up as they make up the most vertebrates in New Zealand, and ultimately dozens of species died around the same time, or not long after, the moas and host eagle

when extinct, which includes multiple kinds of ducks, geese, rails, you name it. And while this is certainly tragic, many of these animals are still found elsewhere in the world to related species. Yet, there was one more family of birds who were around, which are now gone for good, the ads bills. While not as famous as the Moas or Host Eagle, the Asbills were very strange birds that at some point it called both as Southern and Northern Ireland home, being represented by two types that were native to each part respectively. And when fossils belonged to them were first found in 1844, it was actually thought that they represented a brand new Moa, albeit a small one,

that had just previously gone unearthed. Yet eventually, thanks to sheer luck, more bones belonging to this family were located, including some which contained DNA, allowing researchers to deduce that it was no moa, but rather a now extinct grue form, making cranes a close relative to them, and suggesting that adzbills had simply convergently evolved a body plan similar to that of the moa. However, the body is where their similarities ended, as the ad's bills were something of a weird mashup of varying extinct birds, having the physique of a moa, the wings of a dodo bird, and the beaks of a tererbird, being fairly broad, sharp, and narrowing out towards the front

with a curve, which is, let's just say, not a good sign for co-existing animals. And sure enough, based off of isotopic analysis, the conclusion was that ads bills like to keep their diets mixed, including both plant material and animals. They were a bit more of a generalist than the host bird, and thus thankfully for their co-existing animals, not as voracious with the meat portion of their food, with that part consisting of mainly large invertebrates, lizards, tuataras, and smaller birds. Originally, it was also believed that this family was long gone before the Europeans or even the Maori had arrived.

But the discovery of their bones and middens, which are essentially domestic waste dumps, showed that the Maori definitely encountered them and that they experienced the same hunting pressures of the Moas, which thus eventually ended in their demise. And despite not being as well studied as the Moas or Eagles, it's currently thought that the last of the ads bills disappeared around 1445 AD, hence before European explorers and leading to a lack of any documented. sightings. And so with that, it's a pretty sure thing that these guys are now long gone, ending a presence on the island which possibly spanned 19 million years, according to some research.

And likewise, we can say quite confidently that the moas and eagles are now all gone too. However, there are some animals that have disappeared, which are presumed to be extinct, that might actually still be out there, one being our very first mammal on the list, who also represented one of the only three bats to call New Zealand home. This is the New Zealand greater short-tailed bat. Unlike the other animals mentioned, the Maori did tend to leave this creature alone. But they introduced Polynesian rats? Well, they sure didn't.

And it's believed that beforehand, this bat was extremely widespread. However, after a few hundred years of dealing with the rats, their numbers and range were reduced significantly. And when Europeans showed up, they could only be found on the islands next to Stewart Island, where the rats were absent. Here, they continue to live for hundreds of years, but still experienced a slow decline due to dwindling reproduction rates, and by the 20th century they had but one refuge left, the Tauki Hippa, or Big South Cape Island. It was also here that the European researchers first started paying attention to them, with one scientist capturing and studying a few, from which he reported that for bats, they did not

like to fly high at all, going no more than 3 meters or 10 feet off the ground. Another scientist reported that compared to other bats, it crawled around on the floor far more often, acting almost like a land-dwelling animal instead of a flyer, which is a well-known trait in the family belonged to, the Meisocinidae, an ancient group who date back to the ligacine and are only represented today by one last species, the lesser short-tailed bat, a cousin to our friend. Now their knack for life on the floor is thought to have come from the lack of terrestrial animals on the island, and in addition to this, other odd traits were found, including the ability

to fold its wing into a leathery membrane when not in use, and also additional projections on their claws, allowing them to climb and dig better. And due to its prolonged survival, we also know that this lost bat had dark brown fur, darker wings, and an omnivorous diet consisting of not only insects, like flies, beetles, and moths, but also fruit, flowers, nectar, and pollen. And for a bit, things actually seem to be stabilizing for the greater shoretail, until that is, in 1963, when ships accidentally introduced rats into its last safe haven, leading to his decimation and apparent eradication. With 1965 being the last time anyone saw it, and resulting in it, being classified as extinct. However, in recent years, Hopas sprung up once more for our flying friends. As in the 1990s and 2000s, eyewitness reports of its presence started to arise,

eventually leading to a certified expedition that actually recorded echolocations, which were remarkably my stacinid like. Now, no bat was seen or captured during the expedition, but the echolocation's uniqueness was enough for its status to upgrade from extinct to critically endangered, with a dream being that somewhere out there, it is still kicking. And today, it makes up one of the 25 most wanted lost species on the planet. And bats are not the only animals that originally survived into the modern age before eventually disappearing. Because, as you can probably guess, many birds match this criteria too, with one unique case being the Nynox albifaceae's, or the Laughing Owl.

Now, owls in general are rather strange, funny-looking birds, yet as its name implies, the Laughing Owl is strange for reasons beyond looks. As the Maori and Europeans, both reported that this sowl found virtually everywhere in the past, could make horrifying vocalizations akin to a maniacal laugh or dismal shrieks, giving the odd person or two quite the heart attack, no doubt. And when not screaming, they were described as making a sound eerily similar to that to two grown men cooing to each other, which is oddly specific. And as strange noises ended up bringing the unwanted attention of researchers, who noted that it typically lived in rocky areas where rain was rare, or in small forests.

It was also described as being an extremely impressive and successful predator, eating virtually anything as long as it was small enough. And thanks to pellets, we know that anything included bugs, small birds, lizards, tuataras, frogs, bats, and fish. And on top of this, it was said to be just about the only animal that brushed off the introduction of rats, even going so far as turning them into its new favorite prey, which helps explain how it remained so abundant even hundreds of years after Maori arrival. But if you go to New Zealand to New Zealand.

day, you'll notice no screaming, no scary laughter, and no grown man-kewing noises, at least off from the animals. So what exactly happened to the owl? Well, while rats were no biggie, humans did eventually introduce more problematic creatures, namely stotes and cats. Originally, the idea was that these two would curb a feral rabbit infestation, but all they really ended up doing was causing a drastic fall and laughing owl numbers. And then in a three-for-one combo, the owls got flanked by both habitat loss due

of farmland and to researchers who became enamored with their vocalizations, making them a popular animal to capture and study. And by the 1880s, they had gone from everywhere to almost nowhere, being one of the rarest animals in all of New Zealand. And you'd assume this would make some people stop and think a moment about saving them. But no, life continued as usual, and when spotted, they were captured. So unsurprisingly, just a few decades later, they were all but gone. And in 1914, the last record of one was made. A dead individual found along a road in Canterbury. This would make the last time anyone saw the creature dead or alive. Though similar to our last animals, unconfirmed reports did continue up until the 1940s,

and then even in the 1960s, when egg fragments apparently belonging to the owl, were located nearly in the exact same spot as the last known specimen. But since then, nada. And for now, it's officially regarded as extinct. You would think, or hope, this would be the end of the list. But no, and ultimately loads of other animals died out, including the equally impressive bird Isles Harrier, an unusually large, well, harrier, who went for a long time misidentified as a giant hawk, before likely succumbing to the same

reasons as the Host Eagle. And in the end, it wasn't just winged, or usually winged animals, that got burnt, as we also know of skinks, frogs, beetles, and even plants that didn't make it to today. And while there are more tragic stories than happy ones, not all of it is doom and gloom. As some, like the Kakapo, an icon in New Zealand today, had a very rough history and at one point even disappeared, but was eventually rediscovered and is now protected. A small win which can hopefully serve as a reminder not to take the amazing wildlife in New Zealand for granted. I mean, it's even home to one of the oldest species in the planet, the Tuatara, who's been

existing for 19 million years straight. And if you've seen my video on the hidden timer that kills every species, you'll know why that's extremely impressive. And if you haven't, go check it out. Thanks for watching, and until next time, On instinct zoo. Ambition comes in all shapes and sizes. At First Citizens Bank, we roll with your goals because we're built for what you're building.

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