Story: Moa

Richard Owen (1st of 2)

Richard Owen

Richard Owen, who was to found London's Natural History Museum, stands beside the skeleton of a giant moa. Owen had been given a 15-centimetre bone in 1839 (he is holding it in his right hand), and from this deduced that a large flightless bird had lived in New Zealand.

Using this item

National Library of New Zealand, General Lending Collection
Reference: Richard Owen, Memoirs on the extinct wingless birds of New Zealand. Vol 2. London: John Van Voorst, 1879, plate XCVII.

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Trevor H. Worthy, 'Moa - Moa and people', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/11388/richard-owen (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Trevor H. Worthy, published 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015