No. It is not about the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) at the Mt John Observatory at Lake Tekapo, a Japan/NZ collaboration that makes observations on dark matter.

It is about Dinornis giganteus, 'the' Moa, pronouced mo-a (not mower). He must have looked a bit like Big Bird from Sesame Street with his 242 kilograms and 1.9 metres hight.

Dinornis giganteus lived in the North Island of New Zealand and D. robustis in the South Island. There were 10 different species and they all vanished from the face of New Zealand by the late 1400s: They were eaten to extinction as they were easy prey to the humans who arrived in New Zealand around 1200.

If you like to learn more about the big flightless bird and his still surviving brothers and sisters, the Kiwi, visit the website displayed on the left.

Happy reading

Your hosts
Sabine & Ernst Wipperfuerth