Research shows that the D. novaezealandiae displayed a large reversed sexual dimorphism whereby the females were much larger than males, estimated to have had up to twice the body mass of males (Turvey & Holdaway 2005, p.70)[7]: 70 .Dinornis had long slim, elongated bones compared to other moa species (Turvey & Holdaway 2005, p.75).[7]: 75 Using algorithms derived from the bone findings of juvenile Dinornis, an adult male has been estimated to weigh between 55-88kg whilst females between 78-249kg (Turvey & Holdaway 2005, p.76).[7]: 76 The growth and development of Dinornis long bones, compared to that of other ratites such as the Ostrich, has been found to be much slower (Turvey & Holdaway 2005, p.76).[7]: 76 The North Island brown kiwi, that does not reach adult body mass until 12 months, is viewed as a more appropriate developmental analog for the Dinornis due to the similarities that have been drawn between the time taken to reach complete maturity of hindlimbs (5 years), as well as the time upon which tarsals commence fusion with adjacent long bones (4 years) (Turvey & Holdaway 2005, p.79).[7]: 79 Due to extensive land clearance for agriculture during the nineteenth and twentieth century, most land surface containing moa bones was lost throughout New Zealand, making the bones of the D. novaezealandiae a rarity that are only found in remote, undisturbed and rarely visited sites (Wood & Wilmshurst 2013, p.254) This moa lived on the North Island of New Zealand, and lived in the lowlands (shrublands, grasslands, dunelands, and forests).[4] The Dinornis was a widely represented genus of moa in the North Island of New Zealand (Scarlett 1974, p.1).[9]: 1 The habitat of the Dinornis novaezealandiae is thought to have remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years (McCallum et al. 2013, p.e50732).[10]: e50732 This was in part due to the bird's inability to fly, as this restricted its movement between islands and therefore confined the species to the North Island of New Zealand (Lomolino et al. 2021, p.5).[11]: 5 . Shifts in this moa's habitat have been noted during particular times of changing climates and vegetative zones (Lomolino et al. 2021, p.1) [11]: 1 and in reaction to the influence of anthropogenic factors such as the introduction of Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) and Polynesian dog (Canis familiaris) (Lomolino et al. 2021, p.1).[11]: 1 Later, the human environmental impact of fires made by the Māori people also contributed to habitat alterations (Lomolino et al. 2021, p.10).[11]: 10 Based on recent knowledge, the Kahikatea-Pukatea-tawa forest, Waikato, was home to the majority of Dinornis novaezealandiae (Lomolino et al. 2021, p.5).[11]: 5 However, bone discoveries also reveal it to have been in nearby places, such as Opito, Aukland, where it was the predominant genus of moa (Scarlett 1974, p.11).