Moa Kikuchi

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Moa Kikuchi (菊地 最愛, Kikuchi Moa, born July 4, 1999) is a Japanese idol, singer and model. She is represented by the talent agency Amuse, Inc.. She is a member of the heavy metal group Babymetal and a former member of the girl group Sakura Gakuin.

Biography

Kikuchi was signed to the talent agency Amuse, Inc. at the age of 8, after winning Semi-Grand Prix (becoming a runner-up) in the Ciao Girl Audition 2007 held by the company. On August 2, 2010, at the age of 11, Moa Kikuchi, at the same time with Yui Mizuno, joins Sakura Gakuin, an idol group managed by their talent agency Amuse. The group had not released its debut single yet. The group members were also divided into smaller subgroups, so-called clubs. Each club had its own musical group that recorded its own songs. Moa and Yui first became members of the Baton Club and its musical group Twinklestars and later together with Suzuka Nakamoto (as leader and lead singer) formed a heavy music club and its heavy metal-themed group Babymetal. Before the heavy music club was created by the management, none of the three heavy music club members knew what heavy metal was.

Moa

The moa were nine species (in six genera) of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.6 m (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kg (510 lb). When Polynesians settled New Zealand in CE 1280, the moa population was about 58,000.

Moa belong to the order Dinornithiformes, traditionally placed in the ratite group. However, their closest relatives have been found by genetic studies to be the flighted South American tinamous, once considered to be a sister group to ratites. The nine species of moa were the only wingless birds, lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand's forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, and until the arrival of the Māori were hunted only by the Haast's eagle. Moa extinction occurred in CE 1440 ± 20 years, primarily due to overhunting by Māori.

Description

Although moa skeletons were traditionally reconstructed in an upright position to create impressive height, analysis of their vertebral articulation indicates that they probably carried their heads forward, in the manner of a kiwi. The spine was attached to the rear of the head rather than the base, indicating the horizontal alignment. This would have allowed them to graze on low-elevation vegetation, while being able to lift their heads and browse trees when necessary. This has resulted in a reconsideration of the height of larger moa.

Moa (name)

Moa is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:

Surname:

Given name:

See also

Moa (disambiguation)

Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand.

Moa or MOA may also refer to:

Animals

New Zealand Navy

People

Plants

Places

Science and mathematics