The Haast's Eagle is shown in this artist's rendition attacking its main prey, the giant moa.
Artwork: John Megahan Copyright: PLoS Biology License: CC-BY-2.5
- The Haast's Eagle is shown in this artist's rendition attacking its main prey, the giant moa. Artwork: John Megahan Copyright: PLoS Biology License: CC-BY-2.5
- The giant Haast's Eagle is believed to have evolved from normal-sized eagles, like this wedge-tailed eagle, that traveled to New Zealand from Australia. Photo credit: Thomas Schoch, licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.5
- This skeleton shows the size of the Haast Eagle's main prey, the moa. Like humans, the moa walked upright leaving its head and neck as the target of opportunity for the Haast's Eagle's powerful talons which had claws the size of a modern-day tiger's claws. Photo from Richard Owen, Memoirs on the extinct wingless birds of New Zealand. Vol. 2. London: John van Voorst, 1879, plate XCVII now in the public domain.
- Computed axial tomography (CAT/CT) scans of the skull of Haasts Eagle. A reconstructed side view is shown above, and a virtual slice through the middle of the skull is shown below. Compared to other eagles, Haasts Eagle had a small brain relative to its large body size. Image courtesy of Dr. Ken W.S. Ashwell and Christchurch Radiology through Newswise.
- Close-up photograph of the pelvis (hip bones) of Haasts Eagle, illustrating the holes through which nerves for the back legs would have passed. The size of these holes indicate that the bird would have had a powerful grip. Image courtesy of Dr. R. Paul Scofield through Newswise.
- An exhibit of the giant Haast's Eagle attacking a moa at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa. Photo credit: Serio Alexandro, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
- Although this piece of art shows the scale of humans and the Haast's Eagle's main prey, the giant moa, the Maori people of New Zealand never used bows and arrows for hunting. Artwork fromThe Wonderful Paleo Art of Heinrich Harder now in the public domain.
- A realistic exhibit of the giant Haast's Eagle as it would have appeared just before striking a killing blow to it's prey. Photo credit: Serio Alexandro, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
- Reconstruction of predation by Haasts Eagle (Harpagornis moorei) on South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus). Original artwork by Ray Jacobs, © Canterbury Museum provided through Newswise.
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