New Zealand And Their Analogues: 1. Moa (Dinornithiformes): Splendid Supersaur; Moas were the tallest Ratites, and only wingless Birds, to ever exist. They were native to New Zealand, serving as browsers, until Humans hunted the Birds to extinction and introduced invasive species. They are closely related to Tinamous, not Kiwis. 2. New Zealand Goose (Cnemiornis): Hadrosaurus Hearing; New Zealand Geese were a New Zealand adapted species of flightless Anseriform, filling the niche of Goats and Sheep. They went extinct shortly after the introduction of invasive Mammals, including Humans. 3. Adzebill (Aptornis): Vague Velociraptor: Adzebills functioned as the missing land predators of New Zealand that were decimated by Humans and invasive species. They were not Rails, but close relatives of Flufftails and Trumpeters that preyed on small Animals. 4. Takahe (Porphyrio): Ornithischia Ornithoid; Takahe were once considered extinct due to Humans and invasive species, until they were recently rediscovered. Their closest relatives include the Pukeko and they function as a small grazer in Grassland ecosystems. 5. Weka (Gallirallus): Goofy Gallimimus; Weka are common, but vulnerable, Rails scattered along New Zealand. They consume a variety of different resources, aiding in predation and seed dispersal. They also lay numerous eggs, throughout the year. 6. Kiwi (Apteryx): Just Jaculinykus; Kiwi are the remaining Ratites of New Zealand, adapted to probing substrate for prey and vegetation. They are NOT closely related to Moas, but, in fact, Elephant Birds. They also lay the largest eggs (to body size) of any Bird, making them vulnerable to invasive species. 7. Wren [Flightless] (Acanthisittidae): Alvarezsaur Age; Wrens are a paraphyletic group of Songbirds, with flightless Wrens being a specialized clade of Birds, adapted for scurrying on the New Zealand landcape, until they eventually went extinct because of invasive species. Conceptual Emoa/Tinamoa (Moa De-Extinction): 0. The Moa were an extinct clade of Ratites closely related to the modern day Tinamous. They were the tallest Birds to ever live, reaching heights over 3 meters, or 12 feet tall, while standing upright. They lacked vestigal wings, some had the hallux toes, and all held dimorphic, herbivorous adaptations, functioning as the mega-herbivore of New Zealand. 1. Extract DNA from extinct, dwarf Moa species, such as the Little Bush Moa, sequence genomes of conspecifics, including the Upland Moa, and identify key traits for potential engineering of a surrogate species, particularly the Emu or Tinamou. (Emus are morphologically similar to Moa, making them more feasible.) 2. Modify anatomy for Moa-like hallux, leg bones, and body structures, broad, flatter, and robust skull, long neck, and herbivorous digestive track, winglessness, downy, dense, and semi-plume feathering along body, and dimorphism, as well as Moa sociality. 3. Cultivate Emoa/Tinamoa embryo from Primordial Germ Cells in a surrogate, with Emu father or artificial incubator. Raise Hatchling as closely as to known wild form. Rear Chick towards potential wild diet in state of potential release into an enclosed ecosystem. 4. Assess, monitor, and evaluate Emoa's/Tinamoa's development in captivity and the wild, modify potential success towards rewilding, and address benefits or concerns of extending population on Islands.
Sprite Work: Ceres4S2D1 Sounds: Also Ceres4S2D1 and IRL Birds
