10 Cave Discoveries That Will Make You Believe in Magic

2. Evidence of the Horrific Moa Bird

Found Year: 1987 Estimated Value: N/A An amazing find was made in 1987 in Mount Owen, New Zealand, when archaeologists discovered a claw from a cave that was astonishingly still covered in muscle and skin. The preserved foot was later confirmed to be that of the Moa bird, an ancient species that disappeared from Earth between 700 and 800 years ago.

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Evidence of the Ghoulish Moa Bird ©Lakeview Images/Shutterstock Dinornis giganteus, the highest species of moa, was roughly 3.6 meters (12 feet) tall. These birds, which belonged to the distinctive avian biodiversity of New Zealand, went extinct between 700 and 800 years ago, most likely as a result of a mix of habitat degradation and hunting by humans.