1000+ images about Holocene extinction on Pinterest | Wolves, Australia and Seals Birds Got Too Fat to Fly After Dinosaurs Vanished? Moa - Google Search Moa : Wikis (The Full Wiki) The Full Wiki Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Top historical and fictional birds Did you know ... when the giant flightless birds called moa (pictured) were overexploited to the point of extinction , the giant Haast's Eagle that preyed on them also became extinct? the flightless adzebill was a large predatory bird that lived in New Zealand , and was initially thought to be a kind of moa ? Encyclopedia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the extinct New Zealand birds known as moa. For other uses, see Moa (disambiguation) . Moa Synonyms Dinornithes The moa [2] [3] were ten species (in six genera) of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand .

The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.7 m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kg (510 lb). [4] Moa are members of the order Struthioniformes (or ratites ). The ten species of moa are the only wingless birds, lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, and until the arrival of the Māori were hunted only by the Haast's Eagle . All species are generally believed to have become extinct by 1500 AD, mainly due to hunting by Māori. Contents Taxonomy Comparison of a kiwi , ostrich , and Dinornis , each with its egg The kiwi were formerly regarded as the closest relatives of the moa, but comparisons of their DNA in a paper published in 2005 suggested moa were more closely related to the Australian emu and cassowary .

[5] However research published in 2010 found that the moa's closest cousins were not the emu and cassowary but smaller terrestrial South American birds called the tinamous which are able to fly [6] . Although dozens of species were described in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many were based on partial skeletons and turned out to be synonyms . Currently, ten species are formally recognised, although recent studies using ancient DNA recovered from bones in museum collections suggest that distinct lineages exist within some of these. One factor that has caused much confusion in moa taxonomy is the intraspecific variation of bone sizes, between glacial and inter-glacial periods (see Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule ) as well as sexual dimorphism being evident in several species. The Dinornis seem to have had the most pronounced degree of sexual dimorphism , with females being up to 150% as tall and 280% as heavy as males—so much bigger that they were formerly classified as separate species until 2003.

[7] [8] Although moa were traditionally reconstructed in an upright position to create impressive height, analysis of their vertebral articulation indicates that they probably carried their heads forward [9] , in the manner of a kiwi. This would have allowed them to graze on low-level vegetation, while being able to lift their heads and browse trees when necessary. Ancient DNA analyses have determined that there were a number of cryptic evolutionary lineages in several moa genera. These may eventually be classified as species or subspecies; Megalapteryx benhami (Archey) which is synonymised with M. didinus (Owen) because the bones of both share all essential characters. Size differences can be explained by a north-south cline combined with temporal variation such that specimens were larger during the Otiran glacial period (the last ice age in New Zealand). Similar temporal size variation is known for the North Island Pachyornis mappini. [10] Some of the other 'Large' ranges in variation for moa species can probably be explained by similar geographic and temporal factors.

[11] Sometimes, the Dinornithidae are considered to be a full order (Dinornithiformes), in which case the subfamilies listed below would be advanced to full family status (replacing "-inae" with "-idae"). Anomalopteryx didiformus skeleton Emeus crassus fossil, Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen Thus, the currently recognised genera and species are: [4] Family †Dinornithidae - Moa South Island Giant Moa , Dinornis giganteus (South Island, New Zealand) Dinornis new lineage A (South Island, New Zealand) Dinornis new lineage B (South Island, New Zealand) Regional faunas Analyses of fossil moa bone assemblages [9] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] have provided detailed data on the habitat preferences of individual moa species, and revealed distinctive regional moa faunas: South Island Restoration of Dinornis giganteus and Pachyornis elephantopus, both from the South Island The two main faunas identified in South Island include: 1.

The fauna of the high rainfall west coast beech ( Nothofagus ) forests that included Anomalopteryx didiformis and Dinornis giganteus; and 2. The fauna of the dry rainshadow forest and shrublands east of the Southern Alps that included Pachyornis elephantopus, Euryapteryx gravis, Emeus crassus and Dinornis robustus. The two other moa species that existed in South Island; Pachyornis australis and Megalapteryx didinus might be included in a ‘ subalpine fauna’, along with the widespread Dinornis robustus. P. australis is the rarest of the moa species, and the only one yet to have been found in Maori middens. Its bones have been found in caves in the northwest Nelson and Karamea districts (such as Honeycomb Hill Cave ), and some sites around the Wanaka district. M. didinus is more widespread. Its name ‘upland moa’ reflects the fact its bones are commonly found in the subalpine zone.

However, it also occurred down to sea level where there was suitable steep and rocky terrain (such as Punakaiki on the west coast and Central Otago ). North Island Significantly less is known about North Island paleofaunas, due to a paucity of fossil sites compared to South Island; however, the basic pattern of moa-habitat relationships were the same. [9] Although South Island and North Island shared some moa species (Euryapteryx gravis, Anomalopteryx didiformis), most were exclusive to one island, reflecting divergence over several thousand years since lower sea level had resulted in a land bridge across Cook Strait . In the North Island, Dinornis novaezealandiae and Anomalopteryx didiformis dominated in high rainfall forest habitat; a similar pattern to South Island. The other moa species present in North Island (Euryapteryx gravis, E. curtus, and Pachyornis geranoides) tended to inhabit drier forest and shrubland habitats. P. geranoides occurred throughout the North Island, while the distributions of E. gravis and E.

curtus were almost mutually exclusive, the former having only been found in coastal sites around the southern half of North Island. [9] Biology It has been long suspected that the pairs of species of moa described as Euryapteryx curtus/E. exilis, Emeus huttonii/E. crassus, and Pachyornis septentrionalis/P. mappini constituted males and females, respectively. This has been confirmed by analysis for sex-specific genetic markers of DNA extracted from bone material. [7] For example, prior to 2003 there were three species of Dinornis recognised: South Island giant moa (D. giganteus), North Island giant moa (D. novaezealandiae) and slender moa (D. struthioides). However, DNA showed that all D. struthioides were in fact males, and all D. giganteus were females. Therefore the three species of Dinornis were reclassified as two species, one each formerly occurring on New Zealand 's North Island (D. novaezealandiae) and South Island (D.

robustus); [7] [8] robustus however, comprises three distinct genetic lineages and may eventually be classified as many species as discussed above. Diet Dinornis giganteus skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin Although feeding moa were never observed by scientists their diet has been deduced from fossilised contents of their gizzards , [18] [19] coprolites , [20] as well as indirectly through morphological analysis of skull and beak, and stable isotope analysis of their bones. [9] Moa fed on a range of plant species and plant parts, including fibrous twigs and leaves taken from low trees and shrubs. The beak of Pachyornis elephantopus was analogous to a pair of secateurs , and was able to clip the fibrous leaves of New Zealand flax ( Phormium tenax) and twigs up to at least 8mm in diameter. [19] Like many other birds, moa swallowed gizzard stones ( gastroliths ), which were retained in their muscular gizzards, providing a grinding action that allowed them to eat coarse plant material.

These stones were commonly smooth, rounded quartz pebbles, but stones over 110 millimetres (4 in) in length have been found amongst preserved moa gizzard contents. [19] Dinornis gizzards could often contain several kilograms of stone. [9] Locomotion Footprints of a large moa found in 1911 Approximately eight moa trackways , with fossilised moa footprint impressions in fluvial silts have been found throughout the North Island, including Waikanae Creek (1872), Napier (1887), Manawatu River (1895), Marton (1896), Palmerston North (1911) (see photograph to right), Ragitikei River (1939), and underwater in Lake Taupo (1973). Analysis of the spacing of these tracks indicate walking speeds of between 3 and 5 km/h (1.75–3 mph). [9] Breeding Examination of growth rings present in moa cortical bone has revealed that these birds were K-strategists , as are many other large endemic New Zealand birds.

[5] They are characterised by having low fecundity and a long maturation period, taking approximately ten years to reach adult size. The large Dinornis species took the same length of time to reach adult size as small moa species, and as a result had accelerated rate of skeletal growth during their juvenile years. [5] Eggs Fragments of moa eggshell are often encountered in archaeological sites and sand dunes around the New Zealand coast. A total of 36 whole moa eggs exist in museum collections and vary greatly in size (from 120–240 millimetres (4.7–9.4 in) in length and 91–178 millimetres (3.6–7.0 in) wide) [21] . The outer surface of moa eggshell is characterised by small slit-shaped pores. The eggs of most moa species were white, although the upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) is known to have had blue-green coloured eggs. Nests There is no evidence to suggest that moa were colonial nesters.

While evidence of moa nesting is often inferred from accumulations of eggshell fragments found in caves and rock shelters, little evidence exists of the nests themselves. Excavations of rock shelters in the eastern North Island during the 1940s uncovered moa nests, which were described as "small depressions obviously scratched out in the soft dry pumice " [22] . Moa nesting material has also been recovered from rock shelters in the Central Otago region of South Island, where the dry climate has resulted in the preservation of plant material used to construct the nesting platform (including twigs that have been clipped by moa bills) [23] . Seeds and pollen within moa coprolites found amongst the nesting material provide evidence that the nesting season was late spring to summer. [23] Vocalisation Although there is no surviving record of what sounds moa made, some idea of their calls can be gained from fossil evidence. The trachea of moa were supported by many small rings of bone known as tracheal rings.

Excavation of these rings from articulated skeletons has shown that at least two moa genera (Euryapteryx and Emeus) exhibited tracheal elongation, that is, their trachea were up to 1 metre (3 ft) long and formed a large loop within the body cavity. [9] These are the only ratites known to exhibit this feature, which is also present in several other bird groups including swans , cranes and guinea fowl . The feature is associated with deep, resonant vocalisations that can travel long distances. Feathers and soft tissues Preserved Megalapteryx foot, Natural History Museum Megalapteryx didinus head Several remarkable examples of moa remains have been found that exhibit soft tissues ( muscle , skin , feathers ), preserved through desiccation when the bird died in a naturally dry site (for example, a cave with a constant dry breeze blowing through it). Most of these specimens have been found in the semi-arid Central Otago region, the driest part of New Zealand.

These include: Dried muscle on bones of a female Dinornis robustus found at Tiger Hill in the Manuherikia River Valley by gold miners in 1864 [24] (currently held by Yorkshire Museum ) Several bones of Emeus crassus with muscle attached, and a row of neck vertebrae with muscle, skin and feathers collected from Earnscleugh Cave near the town of Alexandra in 1870 [25] (currently held by Otago Museum ) An articulated foot of a male Dinornis rubustus with skin and foot pads preserved found in a crevice on the Knobby Range in 1874 [26] (currently held by Otago Museum ) The type specimen of Megalapteryx didinus found near Queenstown in 1878 [24] (currently held by Natural History Museum , London; see photograph of foot on this page) The lower leg of Pachyornis elephantopus with skin and muscle from the Hector Range in 1884; [26] [27] (currently held by the Zoology Department, Cambridge University ) The complete feathered leg of a Megalapteryx didinus from

 Old Man Range in 1894 [28] (currently held by Otago Museum ) The head of a Megalapteryx didinus found near Cromwell sometime prior to 1949 [29] (currently held by the Museum of New Zealand ).

Two specimens are known from outside the Central Otago region: A complete foot of Megalapteryx didinus found in a cave on Mount Owen near Nelson in 1980s [30] (currently held by the Museum of New Zealand ) A skeleton of Anomalopteryx didiformis with muscle, skin and feather bases collected from a cave near Te Anau in 1980. [31] In addition to these specimens, loose moa feathers have been collected from caves and rockshelters in the southern South Island, and so some idea of the moa plumage can be gained. The preserved leg of Megalapteryx didinus from Old Man Range reveals that this species was feathered right down to the foot. This is likely to have been an adaptation to living in high altitude snowy environments, and is also seen in the Darwin’s Rhea which lives in a similar seasonally snowy habitat. [9] Moa feathers are up to 23 centimetres (9 in) long and a range of colours have been reported, including reddish brown, white, yellowish and purplish.

[9] Dark feathers with white or creamy tips have also been found, and indicate that some moa species may have had plumage with a speckled appearance. Extinction Early 20th century reconstruction of a moa hunt The moa's only predator was the massive Haast's Eagle —until the arrival of human settlers. The Māori arrived sometime before A.D. 1300, and all moa genera were soon driven to extinction by hunting and, to a lesser extent, forest clearance. By about A.D. 1400 all moa are generally thought to have become extinct, along with the Haast's Eagle which had relied on them for food. Recent research using carbon-14 dating of middens strongly suggests that this took less than a hundred years [32] ; rather than the period of exploitation lasting several hundred years which had been earlier believed. Some authors have speculated that a few Megalapteryx didinus may have persisted in remote corners of New Zealand until the 18th and even 19th centuries, but the view is not widely accepted. [27] Some Māori hunters claimed to be in pursuit of the moa as late as the 1770s.

Whalers and sealers recalled seeing monstrous birds along the coast of the South Island, and in the 1820s a man named George Pauley made an unverified claim of seeing a moa in the Otago Region of New Zealand. [33] [34] An expedition in the 1850's under Lieutenant A. Impey reported two Emu-like birds on a hillside, on the South Island, and an 1861 story from the Nelson Examiner told of three-toed footprints measuring 36 centimetres (14 in) between Takaka and Riwaka , found by a surveying party, and finally in 1878 the Otago Witness published an account from a farmer and his shepherd. [34] Discovery by science Sir Richard Owen with Dinornis robustus skeleton Joel Polack , a trader who lived on the East Coast of the North Island from 1834 to 1837, records in 1838 that he had been shown 'several large fossil ossifications' found near Mt Hikurangi.

He was certain that these were the bones of a species of emu or ostrich, noting that 'the Natives add that in times long past they received the traditions that very large birds had existed, but the scarcity of animal food, as well as the easy method of entrapping them, has caused their extermination'. Polack further noted that he had received reports from Māori that a 'species of Struthio' still existed in remote parts of the South Island. [35] [36] Dieffenbach [37] also refers to a fossil from the area near Mt Hikurangi, and surmises that it belongs to 'a bird, now extinct, called Moa (or Movie) by the natives'. In 1839, John W. Harris, a Poverty Bay flax trader who was a natural history enthusiast, was given a piece of unusual bone by a Māori who had found it in a river bank. He showed the 15 centimetres (6 in) fragment of bone to his uncle, John Rule, a Sydney surgeon, who sent it to Richard Owen who at that time was working at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons in London .

[34] Owen became a noted biologist , anatomist and paleontologist at the British Museum . Owen puzzled over the fragment for almost four years. He established it was part of the femur of a big animal, but it was uncharacteristically light and honeycombed. Owen announced to a skeptical scientific community and the world that it was from a giant extinct bird like an ostrich , and named it Dinornis. His deduction was ridiculed in some quarters but was proved correct with the subsequent discoveries of considerable quantities of moa bones throughout the country, sufficient to reconstruct skeletons of the birds. [34] In July 2004, the Natural History Museum in London placed on display the moa bone fragment Owen had first examined, to celebrate 200 years since his birth, and in memory of Owen as founder of the museum. Moa bone deposits Since the discovery of the first moa bones in the late 1830s, thousands more bones have been found. These bones occur in a range of late Quaternary and Holocene sedimentary deposits, but are most common in three main sites: Caves Moa bones scattered across the floor of 'Moa Cave', Honeycomb Hill Cave System.

This cave is a closed scientific reserve. Bones are commonly found in Caves or ‘tomos’ (Maori word for doline or sinkhole ; often used to refer to pitfalls or vertical cave shafts). The two main ways that the moa bones were deposited in such sites were: 1. Birds that entered the cave to nest or escape bad weather, and subsequently died in the cave; and 2. Birds that fell into a vertical shaft and were unable to escape. Moa bones (and the bones of other extinct birds) have been found in caves throughout New Zealand, especially in the limestone / marble areas of northwest Nelson, Karamea , Waitomo and Te Anau . Dunes Moa bones and eggshell fragments sometimes occur in active coastal sand dunes, where they may erode from paleosols and concentrate in ‘ blowouts ’ between dune ridges. Many such moa bones predate human settlement, although some can originate from Maori midden sites which frequently occur in dunes near harbours and river mouths (for example the large moa hunter sites at Shag River , Otago and Wairau Bar , Marlborough ).

Swamps/mirings Densely intermingled moa bones have been encountered in swamps throughout New Zealand. The most well-known example is at Pyramid Valley in north Canterbury, [38] where bones from at least 183 individual moa have been excavated. Many explanations were historically proposed to explain how these deposits had formed, ranging from poisonous spring waters to floods and wildfires. However the currently accepted explanation is that the bones accumulated at a slow rate over thousands of years, from birds that had entered the swamps to feed and became trapped in the soft sediment. [39] Claims of moa survival Reconstruction of two moa species, Otago Museum , Dunedin . Otago Museum holds the world's largest collection of moa remains. Though scientists agree there is no doubt that moa are extinct , there has been occasional speculation—since at least the late 1800s, [40] [41] and as recently as 2008 [42] —that some moa may still exist, particularly the rugged wilderness of South Westland and Fiordland .

Cryptozoologists and others reputedly continue to search for them, [43] but their claims and supporting evidence (such as of purported Moa footprints [44] or blurry photos [45] ) have earned little attention from mainstream experts, and are widely considered pseudoscientific . [27] Experts contend that moa survival is extremely unlikely, since this would involve the ground-dwelling birds living unnoticed in a region visited often by hunters and hikers . [44] While the rediscovery of the Takahē in 1948 (after none had been seen since 1898), showed that rare birds may exist undiscovered for a long time, the Takahē was rediscovered after its tracks were identified—yet no reliable evidence of moa tracks has ever been found. The Takahē is also a much smaller bird. Footnotes ^ Brands, S. (2008) ^ In Māori words do not use s to indicate plural, and thus "moa" is both plural and singular. Some English speakers apply this rule to their use of the word within English, though others use the regularly formed English plural "moas".

Phillips, Matthew J.; Gibb Gillian C.; Crimp Elizabeth A. and Penny, David (2010). "Tinamous and Moa Flock Together: Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Analysis Reveals Independent Losses of Flight among Ratites" . Systematic Biology 59 (1): 90–107. doi : 10.1093/sysbio/syp079 . . Retrieved Feb 01 2010. Polack, J. S. (1838). New Zealand: Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures During a Residence in that Country Between the Years 1831 and 1837. I. London: Richard Bentley. pp. 303, 307. Turvey, Samuel T.; Green, Owen R. and Holdaway, Richard N. (2005). "Cortical growth marks reveal extended juvenile development in New Zealand moa". Nature 435 (7044): 940–943. doi : 10.1038/nature03635 . PMID 15959513 .

Vickers-Rich, P.; et al. (1995). "Morphology, myology, collagen and DNA of a mummified moa, Megalapteryx didinus (Aves: Dinornithiformes) from New Zealand". Tuhinga: Records of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa 4: 1–26. Wood, JR. (2007). "Moa gizzard content analyses: further information on the diet of Dinornis robustus and Emeus crassus, and the first evidence for the diet of Pachyornis elephantopus (Aves: Dinornithiformes).". Records of the Canterbury Museum 21: 27–39. Wood, JR. (2008). "Moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) nesting material from rockshelters in the semi-arid interior of South Island, New Zealand.". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 38: 115–129. Wood, J.R.; Worthy, T.H., Rawlence, N.J., Jones, S.M., Read, S.E. (2008).

"A deposition mechanism for Holocene miring bone deposits, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of Taphonomy 6: 1–20. Worthy, T.H. (1989). "Mummified moa remains from Mt. Owen, northwest Nelson". Notornis 36: 36–38. Worthy, T.H. (1998a). "Quaternary fossil faunas of Otago, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 28: 421–521. Worthy, T.H. (1998b). "The Quaternary fossil avifauna of Southland, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 28: 537–589. Worthy, T.H.; Holdaway, R.N. (1993). "Quaternary fossil faunas from caves in the Punakaiki area, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 23: 147–254. Worthy, T.H.; Holdaway, R.N.

(1994). "Quaternary fossil faunas from caves in Takaka Valley and on Takaka Hill, northwest Nelson, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 24: 297–391. Worthy, T.H.; Holdaway, R.N. (1995). "Quaternary fossil faunas from caves on Mt. Cookson, North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 25: 333–370. Worthy, T.H.; Holdaway, R.N. (1996). "Quaternary fossil faunas, overlapping taphonomies, and paleofaunal reconstructions in North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 26: 275–361. Worthy, Trevor H.; Holdaway, Richard N. (2002). The Lost World of the Moa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253340349.

External links 1000+ ideas about Flightless Bird on Pinterest | Bantam Chickens, Birds and Kakapo Parrot Forward The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand ranging in size from about the height of a chicken, to the largest species which was twelve feet tall. Most, if not all, species of moa died out due to over-hunting by the Māori and habitat decline before European discovery and settlement. Could a surviving population of gigantic birds be hiding in New Zealand? Moa sightings have occurred fairly regularly in the remotest parts of New Zealand from a variety of sources. See more airNotepad The largest cranes (family Gruidae) can be almost 6 ft. 6 in. tall. Heaviest Flying Birds The Kori Bustard or paauw (Ardeotis Kori) of northeast and southern Africa and the great bustard (Otis tarda) of Europe and Asia weigh about 40-42 pounds. There is a report of a 46 lb. 4 oz. male great bustard shot in northeastern China. It was too heavy to fly.

Heaviest Birds of Prey Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) are the heaviest species of bird of prey. Males weigh 20-27 pounds and have a wingspan of at least 10 feet. A male California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) preserved in the California Academy of Sciences is reported to weigh 31 pounds. It is rare for the species to exceed 23 pounds in weight. Heaviest Parrot Flightless Kakapo around 7lbs in weight; New Zealand [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] SinbadA flightless nocturnal bird, which was described by early European settlers as " the most wonderful bird on Earth, " the Kakapo parrot was once endemic throughout New Zealand. Today only 50 birds remain, some of which live on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) as part of a Department of Conservation endangered species recovery programme. The name "Kakapo" is Polynesian (Maori) for "parrot of the night." Moss green, like Kakapo "Suzanne's" foster brood, Codfish Island, 2002.

Photo by Don Merton/DOC.the foliage of the native trees and grasses in which it evolved, funny and cuddly, with a wonderful spicy fragrance, this unique bird has small wings, useless for flight but handy to steer with when you're jumping down a bank, and a rudimentary keel in its sternum. It browses forest trees, ferns, herbs, moss and lichen and grinds its food between a powerful lower mandible and a grooved pad in the upper mandible, a method of mastication which is thought to be unique. Longest Feathers The phoenix fowl or Yokohama chicken (a strain of the red junglefowl Gallus is bred in Japan for ornamental purposes. A rooster with a 34 ft. 9.5 in. Tail covert was reported in 1972. Longest Bills The bill of the Australian pelican (Pelicanus conspicillatus) is 13-18.5 inches long. The longest beak in relation to body length is that of the sword- billed hummingbird ( Ensifera ) of the Andes. At 4 inches, the beak is longer than the bird’s body (excluding the tail).

Only Nostrils on tip of Beak The Kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak. Whereas other birds hunt by sight or by hearing, the national bird of New Zealand uses its beaky nostrils to sniff out food at night. Although the Kiwi is roughly the same size as a chicken, it lays an egg which is 10 times larger than a hen's. It also has wings but cannot fly. Biggest Eyes The ostrich has the largest eyes of any land animal. Each eye can be up to 2 inches in diameter. Largest Field of Vision The eyes of the woodcock are set so far back in its head that it has a 360 degree field of vision, enabling it see all round and even over the top of its head Best Talker The African Grey Parrot has been called "the perfect mix of brains and beauty" (Bird Talk, Aug. 92) and the "cadillac of parrots" (Bird Talk Sept. 93). Much of the notoriety of this species stems from the phenomenal gift of speech members exhibit.

While many parrots learn some words or phrases, many cases have been documented of African Greys learning multiple lines of songs, prayers, or plays. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the best talking parrot or parrot like bird as a African Grey named Prudle. Prudle was captured near Jinja, Uganda in 1958 and when "he" retired from public life in 1977 had a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words. Many owners have been surprised (and sometimes shocked) when their Grey learned a new word or phrase after hearing it only a few times. One of our favorite stories in this respect was one related by a priest that had a pet Grey. While hanging some pictures in his office, the priest hit his hand with a hammer. He let out a stream of obscenities that his Grey learned (from this one occurrence according to the priest). The priest's embarrassment was compounded by the other aspect of greys gift for mimicking, that is they often sound exactly like the person that spoke the words or phrase.

[contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] Most Airborne Bird The sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) leaves its nesting grounds as a youngster and remains aloft for 3-10 years, settling on water from time to time. It returns to land to breed as an adult. Longest Flight A common tern (Sterna hirundo) that was banded in June 1996 in Finland was recaptured alive 16,250 miles away at Rotamah Island, Victoria, Australia in January 1997. It had traveled at a rate of 125 miles a day. Slowest-Flying Birds The American woodcock (Scolopax minor) and the Eurasian woodcock (S. Rusticola) have both been timed lying at 5 mph with out stalling during courtship displays. Slowest Wing beat The slowest wing beats recorded during true level flight averaged one per second. They were by several species of the New World vulture ( family Cathartidea) Largest Wingspan The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) has the largest wingspan of any living bird.

As a result, it is an expert glider and it is capable of remaining in the air without beating its wings for several hours at a time. The largest known specimen was an extremely old male with and 11 ft. 11 in. wingspan. It was caught in the Tasman Sea in September 1965. It has also been known to sleep while it flies! Largest Ever Wingspan The South American teratoron ( Argentavis magnificens), which existed 6-8 million years ago, had an estimated wingspan of 25 feet. Parrot with largest Wingspan Hyacinth Macaw, around 1100 mm - Brazil [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] The Hyacinth macaw is the most majestic of all parrots. Although the Hyacinth Macaw and Green Wing Macaw are both commonly referred to as the "gentle giant" of the macaw species. The Hyacinths are truly the "dream bird" of all bird lovers.

The Hyacinth macaw can attain the total length of up to 42 inches and have a beak pressure that can easily disassemble a welded wrought iron cage bar by bar in a very short time. In spite of their tremendous strength, this is one of the most laid back and easy-going of all of the macaws. Fastest Flying Bird The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the fastest living creature, reaching speeds of at least 124 mph and possibly as much as 168 mph when swooping from great heights during territorial displays or while catching pry birds in midair. Fastest Wing beat The horned sungem (Heliactin cornuta), a hummingbird from South America, beats its wings up and down 90 times a second. Flying Backwards While hummingbirds are probably the champions of backwards flight they are by no means the only birds that can fly in this way. When two herons or egrets fight, periodically one of them caught at a disadvantage in the dispute will flutter backward. Occasionally warblers fluttering at the tip of a branch as they pick off insects will flutter backward when they overshoot some flying insect.

It is probable that any bird which uses fluttering flight can move backward when pressed to do so. Fastest Land Bird Despite its bulk, the ostrich can run at speeds of up to 45 mph if necessary. Highest-Flying Birds A Ruppell’s vulture (gyps rueppellii) collided with a commercial aircraft over Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at an altitude of 37,000 feet in November 1973. The impact damaged one of the aircraft’s engines, but the plane landed safely. The species is rarely seen above 20,000 feet. In 1967, about 30 whooper swans (Cygnus were spotted at an altitude of just over 27,000 feet by an airline pilot over the Western Isles, UK. They were flying from Iceland to Loch Foyle on the Northern Ireland/republic Ireland border. Their altitude was confirmed by air traffic control. Longest Stride The stride of an ostrich may exceed 23 feet in length when the bird is sprinting.

Highest G-Force Borne The beak of the red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) hits the bark of a tree with an impact of velocity of 13 mph, subjection the bird’s brain to a deceleration of approximately 10 g when its head snaps back. Other woodpeckers may experience and even higher g-force. Most Food Consumed Hummingbirds (family Trochilidon) requires at least half their own body weight in food (mainly nectar and tiny insects) every single day. With the possible exception of shrews, they have the highest metabolic rate of any known animal. Strangest Diet An ostrich living at the London Zoo, England was found to have swallowed an alarm clock, a roll of film, a handkerchief, a 3-foot long piece of rope, a cycle valve , a pencil, three gloves, a collar stud, a Belgian franc, four halfpennies and two farthings. Longest Fast The male emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) spends several months without feeding on the frozen wastes of the Antarctic sea ice.

It travels overland from the sea to the breeding colony, courts the female, incubates the egg for 62-67 days, waits for the female to return and travels back to the open sea, going without food for up to 134 days. Largest Prey The wild animal known to have been killed and carried away by a bird was a 15 pound male red howler monkey killed by a harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) in Manu National Park, Peru in 1990. The harpy eagle is considered the world’s most powerful bird of prey, although it weighs only 20 pounds. An incredible video of a Golden Eagle taking a small Mountain sheep or goat and carrying it off to it's nest. The largest documented prey taken by a Philippine eagle is a 14 kg (30.8 lbs) Philippine deer Cervus at a nest studied by Kennedy in 1985. also on records; a mature female monkey taken and carrying it in one foot in Cagayan; and a large python. The African crowned eagle is Africa's most powerful and ferocious eagle in terms of the weight and nature of prey taken.

Mammalian prey, especially duikers, may weigh up to 34 kg (75 lbs) and still be preyed on by these eagles. Sharpest Vision The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is believed to be able to spot a pigeon from a distance of more than 5 miles under ideal conditions. Biggest Nest The incubation mounds built by the mallee fowl (Leipoa ocellata) of Australia are up to 15 feet tall and 35 feet wide. A nest site is estimated to weigh 330 tons. A 9 ft. 6 in. Wide 20 foot deep nest was built by a pair of bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and possibly by their successors, close to St Petersburg, Florida. When examined in 1963, the nest was estimated to weigh in excess of 2.2 tons. Smallest Nests The vervian hummingbird ( Mellisuga minima) builds a nest about half the size of a walnut shell. The deeper but narrower nest of the bee hummingbird (M. Helenae) is thimble sized.

Smallest Egg The smallest known bird’s egg were tow vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) eggs less than 39/100 inch long. They weighed 0.365 g. (0.0128 oz.) And 0.375 g (0.0132 oz.) Biggest Eggs (contribution by Christoph Kulmann) The extinct giant elephant bird (Aephornis maximus) - picture below under heaviest birds - laid 1 foot long eggs with a lElephant Bird egg compared to chicken eggliquid capacity of 2.25 gallons- the equivalent of seven ostrich eggs and more than 12,000 humming bird eggs. When early Arabian and Indian explorers started returning from their journeys along the coast of Africa with stories of gigantic birds many times the size of a man, they brought evidence...huge eggs, up to three feet in circumference. They were the eggs of a bird that would later come to be known as the Elephant Bird, or Vouron Patra (Aepyornis maximus).

The eggs that the Elephant Bird laid were larger than the largest dinosaur eggs, and, in fact, they were as large as a structurally functional egg could possibly be...the largest single cells to have ever existed on Earth. The ostrich egg is 6-8 inches long. 4-6 inches in diameter and weighs 2 lb. 3 oz. - 3 lb.14 oz.. It is equal in volume to 24 chicken eggs. The shell is 3/50 inch thick but can support eh weight of an adult human. The largest on record was laid in 1988 by a two year old northern/southern hybrid (Struthio c. camelus x s. c. australis) at the Kibbutz Ha’on collective farm, Israel. Ti weighted 5 lb. 2 oz. Heaviest Bird Ever Alive - 2 candidates (contribution by Christoph Kulmann) Elephant BirdThe Elephant Bird (shown above under biggest eggs) is thought to have been the inspiration for the Roc (or Ruhk) made famous in the stories of Sinbad and the accounts of Marco Polo.

While Aepyornis was by no means as large and terrible as the elephant-eating Roc, it WAS one of the largest birds that ever lived. The flightless bird grew to around ten or eleven feet tall, and is estimated to have weighed up to 1100 pounds. By comparison, a BIG Ostrich will go eight feet and 300 pounds. The home of the Elephant Bird was the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. The island was first populated by African and Indonesian peoples that are thought to have arrived around the time of Christ, about 2000 years ago. They were, in turn, visited by Muslim traders from East Africa and the Comoro Islands in the ninth century. The first Europeans to visit the island were the Portuguese in 1500, but Europeans didn't really establish a foothold on the island until the French settled there beginning in 1642. The Elephant Bird was probably still around at that time but it had already become very rare.

One of the only contemporary European accounts of the bird was written by the first French Governor of Madagascar, Étienne de Flacourt, who wrote, in 1658, "vouropatra - a large bird which haunts the Ampatres and lays eggs like the ostriches; so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places." The natives' histories of the Elephant Bird, however, rarely describe it as an aggressive bird, and more often portray it as a shy, peaceful giant. Most likely the Vouron Patra was driven to extinction by people raiding their nests. The eggs and egg shells were both very important items to the tribal Malagasy, who used them for food and all kinds of stuff. The fossil record shows that maximus was not the only species of Aepyornis that ever lived. It is thought that between three and seven different types of Elephant Bird have lived since the Pleistocene although only one, the smaller Aepyornis mullerornis is thought to have survived into historic times along with the Elephant Bird. Only the giant is known to have co-existed with humans, and by 1700, it too was gone.

Only the largest of the New Zealand Moas were taller, some reaching thirteen feet, but they weren't as massively built. Moa were large flightless birds that went extinct in the late 1700's or early 1800's. These huge, bulky birds lived in lowland forests on the islands of New Zealand. The word moa comes from the Maori language, in which the plural of moa is moa (we are using that convention). The oldest-known moa fossils date from 2.4 million years ago. The last of the moa (the smaller species) lived on the South Island of New Zealand until the 1700's. On its native New Zealand, there were no large mammals to prey on the moa or its eggs; its only predators large birds, like the Haast eagle (which is now extinct). When the Maori people moved to New Zealand over 1,000 years ago, they destroyed much of the moa's lowland forest habitat and introduced mammals, including dogs and rats. These mammals ate the moa's eggs. The Maori people also hunted and ate the moa. These forces probably contributed to the extinction of the moa.

The moa had a large body, a small head, a long neck, short, thick legs, and a large beak. There were 11 species of moa. The largest was almost 11.5 feet (3.5 m) tall and weighed perhaps 700 pounds (320 kg); the smallest of the moa were turkey-sized. The moa's nest was located on the ground (leaving the eggs vulnerable to predators). The moa was an herbivore (plant-eater); it ate fruit and some plant material (like leaves). These birds swallowed stones (which went into gizzard) that helped digest the food. Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata (vertebrates), class Aves (birds), order Dinornithiformes, family Anomalopterygidae (the lesser moa) and family Dinornithidae (the greater moa). There were 11 (or possibly 13) different species of moa, including Dinornis, the biggest moa and the biggest bird that ever lived.

In ancient Australia, until 50,000 years ago, there was a group of birds called the Dromornithids. By far the largest of them was "Dromornis stirtoni", a massive creature that stood 3 meters tall and must have weighed more than half a ton. They disappeared rather abruptly, and there is still much debate about the reasons. But the Australians seem to have kept a memory of these giant birds. In some legends, there is a creature called "mihirung", and most likely this means a dromornithid bird. Smelliest Bird The south American hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) has an odor similar to cow manure. Colombians call it pava hedionda ("stinking pheasant"). The cause of the smell is believed to be a combination of its diet of green leaves and its specialized digestive system, which involves a kind of foregut fermentation. Large Flocks Flamingoes, with their long necks and legs, have a height range of 3-5 feet and are the biggest bird to form large flocks.

Of the four species, the lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) of eastern and southern Africa has been seen in flocks of several million birds, particularly in the Great Lakes of eastern Africa. Biggest Bird The largest and strongest living bird is the North African ostrich (Struthio camelus . Males can be up to 9 feet tall and weigh 345 pounds, and when fully grown the have one of the most advanced immune systems of any animal. South Africa was the first country to see the commercial potential of ostrich products - the creature are prized not only for their large soft white feathers and their meat but also for their skins, which are made into the strongest commercially available leather in the world. Ostrich farming is believed to have begun in the Karoo and Eastern Cape c. 1863. By 1910 there were more than 20,000 domesticated ostriches in the country, and by 1913 ostrich feathers were the fourth most important south African export product.

Demand began to dry up soon afterwards, but there was an ostrich revival in the 1920's when farmers started to produce biltong ( dry strips of ostrich meat) commercially. Biggest Seabird (contribution by Jacob Casson) The Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora sanfordi) with a wing span 3 metres, flight speed up to 115 km/h. 80% of life spent at sea. White body, black on backs of wings. Feeds on surface shoaling fish and squid. Male and female equal share in rearing chick, raising one chick every two years. Mature at six years, live about 45 years. Mate in October, one egg laid in November, incubation 79 days. Chick guarded for first six weeks, young depart late September. Biggest Cockatoo Sub-species Proboscigar Aterimus Goliath. The weight of the female Palm Cockatoo is between 500-950 grams, and the males weigh between 540-1100 grams. Both females and males height range from 49-68 centimeters.

The wings are about 35.1 centimeters, the tail about 23.8 centimeters, the bill about 9.1 centimeters, and the tarsus about 3.5 centimeters. These Palm Cockatoos are very large birds. They are the largest of all parrots. The scientific name is derived from both Greek and Latin. Proboscis is Greek for nose, gero is Greek for carry, and atterimus is Latin for black. Most Palm Cockatoos are dark gray and black with a cheek-patch of bare red skin . The cheek skin color may change according to their level of stress, it may change pink or beige if it is stressed, or if it is excited it will turn yellow. Palm Cockatoos have a very strong mandible, which they use for cracking nuts. Most Abundant Bird The red- billed quelea (Quelea quelea) of Africa has an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion. The slaughter of at least 200 million of them each year has no impact on this number.

Rarest Bird With 168 birds on the list of the world's most critically endangered creatures--and many of them from remote, inhospitable places--researchers cannot say for sure which species is the rarest. But that dubious distinction may belong to the po'ouli (pronounced "poh-oh-U-lee"). This Hawaiian honeycreeper, whose name means "black-faced," survives only in a few hundred acres of nearly impenetrable rain forest on the windward side of Maui's Haleakala Crater. At last count, the known po'ouli population was six. And with time running out, experts are scrambling to find a way to save the species from extinction. Rarest Parrot Spix's Macaw. Endemic to one small area of northeastern Brazil, in a habitat known as the "caatinga" (an arid region of flat savanna scrubland interspersed with seasonal creeks and gallery forests), the Spix's Macaw was considered to be extinct in the wild 10 years ago.

Despite concerted efforts of the Brazilian government and an international committee whose members include the aviculturists that hold this endangered species, government officials, conservationists and ornithologists the last one died in 2001. The conservation of this species is now dependent on the success of the captive-breeding and field program. The global captive population has grown significantly from a low of 11 known birds to 60 (54 of which are captive-hatched); new holders are participating in the program, the field research program has collected valuable data on the natural history of this species and the ecology of the region, a strong community outreach program is in place, habitat protection and restoration projects are ongoing, and basic research on psittacine reintroduction techniques has been successfully completed. [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] Bossiest Bird The kea ( Nestor notabilis) from New Zealand is the only bird known to have a society in which the higher status individuals force others to work for them. Most Unusual Birds The home of the Great Indian Hornbill is a prison. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she hides in a hole in a tree.

The male then seals up the hole, leaving her just a narrow slit through which he passes her food. The female stays in there until the chicks are a few months old, when she breaks out and helps the male with feeding duties. The Secretary Bird may have long legs but it can't run. Instead it hops along the African scrublandin search of its staple diet of snakes and lizards. The bird gets its name from the 20 black crest feathers behind its ears which are reminiscent of the old quill pens once favored by secretaries. The Quetzal from central America has such a long tail (up to 3 feet) that it can't take off from a branch in the normal way without ripping its tail to shreds. So instead it launches itself backwards into space like a parachutist leaving an aircraft. The Quetzal nests in hollow trees but has to reverse into the hole. Once inside, it curls up its tail over its head and out of the hole. The Male Bower-Bird from Australia attracts a female by building an elaborate love bower.

After building a little hut out of twigs, he decorates it with flowers and colorful objects such as feathers, fruit, shells, and pebbles or sometimes glass and paper if the nest is near civilization. One particular species (the Atlas Bower-Bird) actually paints the walls by dipping bark or leaves into the blue or dark-green saliva he secretes. The entire bower-building procedure can take months and the bird will often change the decorations until he is happy with them. When finally satisfied, he performs a love dance outside the bower, sometimes offering the female a pretty item from his collection. The Young Hoatzin of the Amazon forests has claws on its wings to help it clamber through the dense undergrowth. The bird is a throwback to the prehistoric archeopteryx, which also had three claws on each wing. The Little Tailorbird uses its sharp beak to pierce holes along the edges of two leaves. It then constructs a nest by neatly stitching the leaves together with pieces of grass. What advantage do many birds gain by flying in V-formation? As a bird flap its wings it disturbs the air and leaves whirling eddies behind.

Some gregarious species take advantage of the upward sections of these whirls and each bird in the V-formation stations itself at the correct place so the inner wing obtains support from the wake of the bird immediately ahead. Thus every bird in the flock except the leader saves energy by using the V-formation type of flight. Source : The Most Colorful River In The World At first I thought this was a hoax, so I looked it up on the net. It really does exist!! The river shown in the photographs is the Caristales (CAÑO CRISTALES), which is located near the town of La Macarena in Colombia , South America . The river, world famous for its colorful display, has been called:"the river that ran away to paradise," "the most beautiful river in the world" and "the river of five colors". During Colombia 's wet season, the water flows fast and deep, obscuring the bottom of the river and denying the mosses and algae that call the river home the sun that they need. During the dry season there is not enough water to support the dazzling array of life in the river.

But during a brief span between the wet and dry seasons, when the water level is just right, the many varieties of algae and moss bloom in a dazzling display of colours. Blotches of amarillo , blue, green, black and red - and a thousand shades in between - coat the river. The part of the river where the colourful blooms occur is quite isolated and is not accessible by road. Adventurous tourists can now fly into La Macarena and then make their way to to the river site on foot as part of guided tours. The site was effectively closed to tourists for several years because of guerrilla activity in the region along with concerns about the impact of unregulated tourist traffic. However, the site was re-opened to visitors in 2009. So far, some 1,000 people have visited Caristales, including around 100 foreign tourists. The tours will follow four clearly marked and authorized paths and one is no longer permitted to stay overnight or cook, as this was ruining the area previously. Source : FunZug.com The 10 Tips of Aging Well Father Time waits for no one. Like it or not, we are all getting older with every passing second.

But, before you reach for your favorite "rainy day" pills, aging gracefully is very possible. Sure, it requires a little extra work and preparation on your part, but so does anything else worth achieving. Maybe you're a rock star who wants to party hard and go out in a blaze of youthful glory. Now, fast forward 10, 25, or 50 years. You made it. You're still alive. Your tattoos are barely legible on your sagging, wrinkle-ridden skin. And your retirement-home buddies aren't interested in your wild stories of "The Burning Man," because they can barely hear you as you struggle to speak between your smoking-induced coughs. Don't you wish you had done a few things differently? Aging gracefully certainly doesn't mean giving up on a fun and adventurous lifestyle. It means doing things now that will allow you to continue that fun and adventurous lifestyle well into your youthful old age. 1. Eliminate Self Destructive Behaviors This is the first step in preventing disease and meeting your later years with vitality and good health and it almost goes without saying – almost.

The health toll of destructive behaviors such as smoking and excess drinking do not necessarily manifest for many years, thus discouraging motivation to stop. It’s natural to forgo making changes when the results are seemingly intangible or minimal at best. Smokers, of course, often report almost immediate improvements in breathing, sleep, and general health, but even so, indulgent habits are difficult to break. Do it now anyway. Whether it’s nicotine or sugar or drugs, don’t let your “vice” become your master. In time it will not only rule your life; it will destroy your body. 2. Eat Properly I frequently say that 70% of health is about what you put in your body (exercise and stress comprise the rest of the equation). Though it’s an estimate, of course, there is absolutely no debating that the food with which you choose to fuel your body is the single most powerful choice you can make for your health now and as you age. In particular, the stress of free radicals and insulin resistance (i.e. oxidation and “syndrome X”) will wreak havoc on your health. As we age, our cells are more vulnerable.

It’s that much more important to stimulate the metabolism, control stress hormones, safeguard immunity, and prevent atrophy. There is no reason anyone needs to be hobbling around at 65 or 75. You can enjoy the energy, vigor and looks of someone much younger if you simply take the extra steps to ensure your body has the arsenal of tools it needs. It’s not rocket science; in fact, the answers are right there in our cells (okay, so it is science). The best thing you can do is fuel your body appropriately with whole, fresh, nutritionally-dense food. Eat the right fats, plenty of quality, clean protein, and copious vegetables. Absolutely avoid anything processed, fried, packaged, reconstituted, refined, or high in worthless carbohydrates. 3. Exercise Much of “aging” is essentially tissue wasting (atrophy). The phrase “use it or lose it” is cliche but true. The human body is designed to conserve precious energy. If you are sedentary, you are sending a clear message to your cells (e.g. your muscles, bones, and brain) that they aren’t necessary.

Your muscles weaken, your bones shed their valuable osseous material – thereby even further compromising your immunity – and your mental capacity begins to slowly deteriorate. Exercise isn’t really about being ripped or sexy, though we all want that. It’s simply a necessary component of functioning as a human being. So many of our health conditions are diseases of sloth. If you are tired or lacking in energy, barring a specific condition or hormonal imbalance, it’s likely you aren’t active enough. 4. Manage Stress An excess of gluccocorticoid hormone production will quickly derail the best health plans and prematurely age you. I’m tempted to argue that as a population, many of us are just too darn “old” for our age. The common “symptoms” of aging – high blood pressure, heart disease, adrenal fatigue, wrinkles, loss of sex drive, loss of energy, poor memory – are not really symptoms of aging at all. They’re symptoms of stress and poor lifestyle choices. Do everything you can to eliminate every type of stress in your life, whether from poor-quality junk food, smoking, drinking, and/or emotional stress . Cut out negative people and put an immediate end to stagnant or abusive relationships. Seek therapy if you think it can benefit you.

Free yourself of your childhood, your demons, and your regrets. And please find a way to cope with the stress that can’t be eliminated, whether through exercise, prayer, meditation or time in the garden. This will make an enormous difference in your overall well-being. 5. Think Young Your one life is a precious gift, but “thinking young” is about more than thinking positively or staying interested in current trends and world events. Realize that even at 55, 65, 75 and beyond, you are “young”. As long as you are alive and taking every intelligent step to get the most from your body and your life, you are young. Living itself is the ultimate fountain of youth. Look at the way children play and are curious. Don’t lose that spirit. I think we all tend to take life far too seriously. While responsibility is important, don’t lose your sense of joy. If someone in your life doesn’t understand that, it’s really their loss. You are who you think you are. If you are constantly telling people you are just “okay” or that you’re tired (again), that’s what you are. There is no harm in thinking positively, so train yourself to do so.

Negative thoughts are unproductive and unnecessary. Use “outcome thinking” where you visualize what you want rather than focusing on what was or what might go wrong. I’m not advocating living in the clouds and ignoring reality, but when you take stock of reality, think about the positive outcome you hope to gain from the situation. 6. Get Rest We recently discussed the importance of sleep . It’s critical to cell repair and regeneration. Adequate sleep can drastically affect your lifespan and your well being, and unfortunately, Americans aren’t getting nearly enough quality sleep. (Look for an upcoming Primal Health piece on sleep as well.) 7. Practice Good Hygiene I see this one left out of many so-called guides to “aging secrets”. Aside from bathing and preventive habits like frequent hand washing, look after your dental health, your hearing, your vision, your nails, and your home. Cleanliness may or may not be next to godliness, but it is certainly going to help prevent infections and potentially serious long-term health problems. Be proud of your body and take care of it. There is no reason you shouldn’t trot into your golden years with all your teeth and (most of) your hair.

Genes do play a significant role in many aspects of health, including how we look and age, but by taking care of yourself properly, you can make the most of all your years. The advances in scientific knowledge about the human body and aging are radically more powerful than what was conceivable just a generation ago. Take the very simple, common-sense preventive steps such as those listed here coupled with the incredible knowledge we now have and realize that longevity is about much more than just “making it” to 80 or 90. Rather, we can utilize what we know about the body and actually thrive well into old age. 8. Prudent Supplementation Like it or not, our food supply is not always sufficient for providing us with all the available tools to fight oxidation and stress or reduce our risk for certain diseases. Debates rage about organic, local, free-range ad infinitum. Do your best, of course, to provide your body with the freshest, most nutritious food you can. But you can go beyond this with prudent supplementation. A powerful antioxidant multivitamin is in my view a must, as is a quality fish oil supplement.

The standard American diet is shockingly low in essential fatty acids (“good fats”) and woefully high in shelf-stable macronutrients that offer little nutrition – trans fat, sugar, starches, etc. While I don’t believe in fad nutrients or miracle juices or weight loss gimmicks, intelligent supplementation is a must. 9. Proactive Living It’s been said that many people fritter their lives away in despair, living someone else’s dreams and choices. Take personal responsibility and seize the life you have been blessed with by making active choices about who you will love, how you will live, and what you will do. Passivity breeds jealousy, imbalance, resentment, fear, fatigue, depression and unhappiness. While it’s just not reasonable to expect to achieve perfect happiness – hey, life’s not fair – you should strive to actively lead your life. Reflect on your thoughts and be sure your choices are your own. Proactive living is really living. I believe emotional health has a lot to do with feeling at peace with our choices – including the mistakes, or perhaps especially the mistakes. And, I believe authentic living has as much or more to do with longevity and good health as anything else. 10.

Balance Here’s the last, but not least, bit of advice. If you’re a thoughtful or responsible person it’s easy to beat yourself up or get carried away with stress and perfectionist tendencies. We all have our “issues”. Stress happens to be mine. I’ve learned to seek balance and accept that some days you’re the pigeon and some days you’re the statue. You won’t always eat perfectly or make the best choice and you might miss a few sessions at the gym. Maybe you drank a few too many last weekend. Don’t dwell on your misses – just keep going and concentrate on how well you’re doing right now. We’re a performance-based culture, and this can be destructive to self-worth. Concentrate on your good habits and achievements and build on those instead of focusing on the negative things. I gotta say it…sometimes sh*t just happens.

Question: The giant bird Dinornis robustus, found in New Zealand, was unique in the bird kingdom in having no wings. It stood at up to 10 feet tall and was hunted to extinction around 1500 AD. By what name is this bird commonly known?
Answer: MOA