News Animals

Back off, extinct moa

Leaf color and shape may defend a New Zealand tree species from a long-gone giant bird

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

Odd shape shifts and color changes during a New Zealand tree’s lifetime may be a botanical form of paranoia.

OUCH ALERT Bright spots mark the thorns on the long, narrow leaves of these lancewood saplings, possibly a leftover warning to extinct moa that these are hard to swallow.