DOI: 10.5061/dryad.hf0rm
title: Data from: Moa diet fits the bill: virtual reconstruction incorporating mummified remains and prediction of biomechanical performance in avian giants

description: The moa (Dinornithiformes) are large to gigantic extinct terrestrial birds
 of New Zealand. Knowledge about niche partitioning, feeding mode and
 preference among moa species is limited, hampering palaeoecological
 reconstruction and evaluation of the impacts of their extinction on
 remnant native biota, or the viability of exotic species as proposed
 ecological ‘surrogates'. Here we apply three-dimensional
 finite-element analysis to compare the biomechanical performance of skulls
 from five of the six moa genera, and two extant ratites, to predict the
 range of moa feeding behaviours relative to each other and to living
 relatives. Mechanical performance during biting was compared using
 simulations of the birds clipping twigs based on muscle reconstruction of
 mummified moa remains. Other simulated food acquisition strategies
 included lateral shaking, pullback and dorsoventral movement of the skull.
 We found evidence for limited overlap in biomechanical performance between
 the extant emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and extinct upland moa
 (Megalapteryx didinus) based on similarities in mandibular stress
 distribution in two loading cases, but overall our findings suggest that
 moa species exploited their habitats in different ways, relative to both
 each other and extant ratites. The broad range of feeding strategies used
 by moa, as inferred from interspecific differences in biomechanical
 performance of the skull, provides insight into mechanisms that
 facilitated high diversities of these avian herbivores in prehistoric New
 Zealand.
description: Virtual 3D PDF of emu
 (Dromaius novaehollandiae) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) specimen SAM B6863 analysed in the paper.
 This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free using the
 most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are available upon
 request to the author.Dromaius novaehollandiae_SAM
 B6863_skull 3D PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF of
 southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) specimen CMAv14294 analysed in
 the paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free
 using the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are
 available upon request to the author.Casuarius
 casuarius_CMAv14294_skull 3D
 PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF of
 coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) specimen NMNZ S30212 analysed in the
 paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free using
 the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are available
 upon request to the author.Euryapteryx curtus_NMNZ
 S30212_skull 3D PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF of
 crested moa (Pachyornis australis) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 crested moa (Pachyornis australis) specimen NMNZ S27896 analysed in the
 paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free using
 the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are available
 upon request to the author.Pachyornis australis_NMNZ
 S27896_skull 3D PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF South
 Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) specimen NMNZ S28225 analysed
 in the paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free
 using the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are
 available upon request to the author.Dinornis robustus_NMNZ
 S28225_skull 3D PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF of little
 bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) specimen NMNZ S35274 analysed
 in the paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free
 using the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are
 available upon request to the author.Anomalopteryx didiformis_NMNZ
 S35274_skull 3D PDF.zipVirtual 3D PDF of upland
 moa (Megalapteryx didinus) skullThis zip file contains a
 virtual 3D skull (based on surface mesh of finite element model) of the
 upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) specimen NMNZ S28206 analysed in the
 paper. This file is in PDF format (.pdf) and can be viewed for free using
 the most recent version of adobe reader. Additional formats are available
 upon request to the author.Megalapteryx didinus_NMNZ
 S28206_skull 3D PDF.zipNASTRAN file of southern
 cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) skullThis zip file contains
 NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to
 create the finite element model of the southern cassowary (Casuarius
 casuarius) specimen CMAv14294 analysed in the paper.Casuarius
 casuarius_CMAv14294_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) specimen SAM B6863 analysed in the paper.Dromaius novaehollandiae_SAM B6863_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) specimen NMNZ S30212 analysed in the paper.Euryapteryx curtus_NMNZ S30212_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of crested moa (Pachyornis australis) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the crested moa (Pachyornis australis) specimen NMNZ S27896 analysed in the paper.Pachyornis australis_NMNZ S27896_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) specimen NMNZ S28225 analysed in the paper.Dinornis robustus_NMNZ S28225_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) specimen NMNZ S35274 analysed in the paper.Anomalopteryx didiformis_NMNZ S35274_skull_nastran.zipNASTRAN file of upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) skullThis zip file contains NASTRAN files (.nas) of the final cranium and mandible volume mesh used to create the finite element model of the upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) specimen NMNZ S28206 analysed in the paper.Megalapteryx didinus_NMNZ S28206_skull_nastran.zip