Ratite - Artensterben

Historical depiction of Aepyornis maximus. Our knowledge of the elephant birds’ external appearance is incomplete: there are no preserved specimens, only bone finds and eggshells. Reconstructions therefore rely on anatomical inferences and comparisons with modern ratites. (© http://www.50birds.com/gextinct5.htm, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

3. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Aepyornis maximus – the largest elephant bird and the mystery of when it went extinct

There wasn’t just one elephant bird The elephant bird is probably one of the best-known of all extinct birds. Hardly any other animal so strongly embodies gigantism, enigmatic traditions, and the fascination of a world of animals that humans now know only in fragments. But the name already misleads: there

Moas: An extinct avian world of New Zealand. (© Auckland Museum Collections from Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

26. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Moas: New Zealand’s extinct giant birds

The moa is among those extinct animals that continue to fascinate and disturb in equal measure. Not only because of its enormous size, but above all because its disappearance is comparatively recent. Just a few centuries ago, these flightless birds roamed the forests, moors, and grasslands of New Zealand. Today,

Peter Jackson will Südinsel-Riesenmoa zurückbringen

This is what a South Island giant moa may have looked like—the extinct bird species is now set to be "brought back" using modern genetic engineering. The controversial project is supported by director Peter Jackson and the US company Colossal Biosciences.

9. July 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

De-extinction: Peter Jackson wants to bring back the extinct giant moa—scientists remain skeptical

New Zealand director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, Braindead) is supporting an ambitious project to revive the South Island giant moa. Together with the US biotech firm Colossal Biosciences, the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, and the Canterbury Museum, the flightless bird that went extinct in the 14th or

Truffles (Gallacea scleroderma) and moas

Gallacea scleroderma: a truffle-like fungus endemic to New Zealand whose spores were once dispersed by moas and which plays a central role in the forest ecosystem. (© Zac Sanson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

17. January 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

What links extinct moas, colorful truffles, and climate change?

New Zealand, known for its unique wildlife and flora, holds many secrets from the past. One of them was revealed by a recent study in Biology Letters: the extinct upland moas (Megalapteryx didinus) were not only majestic birds, but also played a central role in dispersing colorful, truffle-like fungi such

New Zealand’s unique bird life evolved in isolation over millions of years. The image, created at the end of the 19th century, shows a hunting scene of moas. (© Joseph Smit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

27. July 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

In the Footsteps of Moas: Where New Zealand’s Flightless Birds Find Refuge

The settlement of the Pacific Islands by humans led to rapid waves of extinction for many animal species, whose dynamics are difficult to reconstruct. Among the affected species were the wingless moas, which were only found in New Zealand. These often massive birds went extinct in the 14th or 15th

Bones of the North Island giant moa at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. (© Auckland Museum, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

26. February 2018 Doreen Fräßdorf

North Island giant moa

The second-largest moa species This moa species inhabited scrub, grassland and dune landscapes as well as forests on New Zealand’s North Island. The North Island giant moa is considered the second-largest moa species. The largest species is the South Island giant moa, which was endemic to New Zealand’s South Island.