section_path: Current candidate species for de-extinction/Bush moa
section_name: Bush moa
paragraph_text: Bush moa
  
  The bush moa, also known as the little bush moa or lesser moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis) is a slender species of moa slightly larger than a turkey that abruptly went extinct around 500–600 years ago following the arrival and proliferation of the Māori people in New Zealand, as well as the introduction of Polynesian dogs. Scientists at Harvard University assembled the first nearly complete genome of the species from toe bones, thus bringing the species a step closer to de-extinction. Trevor Mallard, a New Zealand politician, has also previously suggested bringing back a medium-sized species of moa. The proxy of the species will likely be the emu.