Scientific Discovery

Walt: Make a Scientific Discovery about Gondwana.

Today I just made a scientific discovery of a lost continent that was long forgotten, since dinosaur times. New Zealand and a number of other islands are just the tips of huge mountain range that are poking out of the water. Apparently, there is about ninety four percent of the continent is completely submerged. Only about 94% of the continent is completely submerged, which means 94% of it is currently under the water and only 6% is sticking out of the water.

Zealandia is the continent that New Zealand is a part of. It is also the very highest part, that sticks out of the ocean. There is a lot of other land out the side of NZ underneath the ocean that scientists say is thick enough to be called a ‘continent. It was part of a lost continent which is called “Gondwana.” There were also other continents that was part of Gondwana. The countries were split apart by something that Alfred Wegener founded. It was called a continental drift that moved the continents around on top of the mantle.

The continent Gondwana use to exist about 550 million years ago. The other continents that was part of Gondwana was South America, Africa, Antarctica, India and Australia. After the continental drift, all the countries were split up. Even after all the continents were moving so slow, that no even the animals on those islands noticed. After 800 million years ago, beautiful green New Zealand finally broke away from from Australia taking it’s birds and wildlife with it. 

New Zealand went out on it’s own a tiny island nation moving far, far, away, from other countries. Around 1300 AD, there was a flightless bird called a “Moa” was one of the most largest birds in New Zealand. The reason why the birds didn’t fly is because they didn’t need to waste their energy on flying. Another reason why is because they were safe on the ground.

But around that time in 1300 AD, Maori people arrived and colonized the lonely island of New Zealand, more were quickly hunted until there were none left, only a hundred years later. Another unusual bird had envolved as the top predator in New Zealand. Then animal was a giant eagle called “Haast’s Eagle or Poakia?” The oral legends of the Maori people tell the tale of a flying beast of fearful hunting powers strong and fast enough to kill a human.

Life continued, though the more Poakia were not the only birds to live here for the millions of lonely years NZ spent by itself. In the last few hundred of years, something has changed in New Zealand, something has arrived and our birds are not prepared to handle it.

Fun facts:

A century ago, there was a birds called a “Moa” is was able to fly. But for each generation, the birds started to waste their energy because they had to drag their big wings along with them. So now the birds don’t have wings, reason being is because it wastes their energy. Moa’s with the smallest wings are most likely the ones to give birth.