in the genus Cyanea—unusual in an island flora where such defenses are frequently lost, as in the ākala (Hawaiian raspberry)—suggests that the Cyanea evolved these thorn-like prickles on new growth because they protect against browsing by the moa-nalo. The moa-nalo themselves filled the niche of herbivore usually filled by mammals such as goats and deer, or the giant tortoises of Galápagos and other archipelagoes. This has implications for the ecology of Hawaiian Islands today, as a major group of species have been lost. Like island taxa from Mauritius, New Zealand and Polynesia, the moa-nalo were unused to mammals and were easily taken by hunters or the animals that were introduced and became feral, such as domestic pigs. See also Giant tortoises, found on several archipelagos around the world Island gigantism Late Quaternary prehistoric birds Moa, enormous extinct flightless ratites, formerly the largest herbivores in New Zealand References James, Helen F. & Burney, David A. (1997): The diet and ecology of Hawaii's extinct flightless waterfowl: evidence from coprolites. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 62(2): 279–297. HTML abstract Further reading . Chapter 1 of the book is about the moa-nalo, and avian paleontologists working in Hawaii. Slikas, Beth (2003): Hawaiian Birds: Lessons from a Rediscovered Avifauna. Auk 120(4): 953–960. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2003)120[0953:HBLFAR]2.0.CO;2* Sorenson et al. (1999): Relationships of the extinct moa-nalos, flightless Hawaiian waterfowl, based on ancient DNA. Proceedings of the Royal Society. Anatinae Holocene extinctions Extinct flightless birds Extinct birds of Hawaii Late Quaternary prehistoric birds Endemic fauna of Hawaii