- Trevor H. Worthy
Trevor H. Worthy is a paleozoologist from
New Zealand best known for his research work on themoa which earned him the nick name "Mr. Moa". In the late 1980s Worthy unearthed the fossil remains of three frog species from the ancientLeiopelmatidae family, theAurora frog ("Leiopelma auroraensis"), theMarkham's frog ("Leiopelma markhami"), and theWaitomo frog ("Leiopelma waitomoensis"). In the 1990s Worthy discovered several fossil bird species new to science, including the Long-billed Wren ("Dendroscansor decurvirostris") in 1991, theScarlett's Shearwater ("Puffinus spelaeus") in 1991, and theNiue Night Heron ("Nycticorax kalavikai") in 1995. By 1998 he spend some time onFiji , were he found subfossil material of the flightlessViti Levu Giant Pigeon ("Natunaornis gigoura"), theFiji Scrubfowl ("Megapodius amissus"), theViti Levu Snipe ("Coenocorypha miratropica"), theGiant Fiji ground frog ("Platymantis megabotoniviti"), and the small freshwater crocodile "Volia athollandersoni ". The holotypes of these species are on display in theMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa .Further remarkable discoveries in which Worthy was involved are the oldest moa bones ever found, the oldest
tuatara bones and a new fossil land mammal from New Zealand; the Saint Bathans mammal.Worthy, who worked under the contract of the
Foundation for Research, Science and Technology inMasterton , Nelson, and for theMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa since 1991 was forced to stop his research work for the museum in 2005 after the funding was cut by the foundation. Since 2005 he has been working at theUniversity of Adelaide , where he received his Ph.D in 2008.Worthy is co-author of several articles about the prehistoric life on
New Zealand . For the book "The Lost Land of the Moa" (2002) he andRichard N. Holdaway got theD. L. Serventy Medal by theRoyal Australasian Ornithologists Union in 2003 for an outstandling published work about theAustralasia navifauna .External links
* [http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectsearch.aspx?sm=anh List of Worthy's collection in the Te Papa Tangarewa Museum] (type Worthy into the search field "Collected by")
* [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10773-fossils-reveal-new-zealands-indigenous-mouse.html Fossils reveal New Zealand's indigenous 'mouse']
* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10124525 New Zealand Herald - Mr Moa's cash extinct]
* [http://www.gns.cri.nz/news/release/snake.html SCIENTISTS FIND FIRST SNAKE FOSSIL IN NEW ZEALAND]
* [http://www.comsdev.canterbury.ac.nz/news/2002/02102402.shtml Short biography of Trevor Worthy]
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