Colossal Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology company focused on de-extinction, has purchased a rare moa egg and will return it to New Zealand as part of its efforts to revive extinct species. The egg, acquired for approximately $14,000 at auction, is one of only a few nearly complete moa eggs known to exist. The moa, large flightless birds that stood up to 12 feet tall and weighed as much as 500 pounds, became extinct about 600 years ago.

The egg, which measures roughly 8.7 by 6.7 inches—nearly twice the size of an ostrich egg—was discovered in New Zealand in January 1966 and had been held in a private American collection for nearly six decades before Colossal purchased it in June from Artemis Gallery in Louisville, Colorado. The company plans to return the egg to New Zealand, where it will be entrusted to Professor Te Maire Tau, a Maori historian and tribal leader from the Canterbury region on the South Island.

Ben Lamm, Colossal’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized the importance of returning the artifact to its rightful home in Aotearoa, using the Maori name for New Zealand. He highlighted the company’s commitment to ensuring indigenous leadership guides the science and decisions related to the moa de-extinction project. “Securing and transporting this egg back to its rightful home is just part of that commitment,” Lamm said.

The egg has been reconstructed from multiple fragments, with additional restoration work underway in collaboration with researchers from Ngai Tahu, a South Island Maori tribe. Such eggshells have been instrumental in helping scientists recover ancient DNA and study moa nesting and incubation behaviors.

Colossal, which is also working on de-extinction projects involving the woolly mammoth, dodo, dire wolf, and Tasmanian tiger, sees the moa program as a potential standard-setter for de-extinction science and a means to help mitigate biodiversity loss. Lamm indicated that progress is advancing well and that the moa could potentially be resurrected by the early 2030s, though timelines remain tentative and subject to the guidance of the Ngai Tahu Research Center.

Reviving the moa would involve gene editing and the use of modern birds, such as Australia’s emu and Central America’s tinamou, as surrogates, since these species are genetically closest to the moa. The birds were historically significant to indigenous communities in New Zealand, providing meat, feathers, and bones.

Noted filmmaker Peter Jackson, an investor in Colossal who is collaborating with the Ngai Tahu Research Center and Canterbury Museum, described the egg’s repatriation as culturally significant for New Zealanders, many of whom grow up familiar with the moa and its extinction. “Colossal not only rescued the egg at considerable expense but also arranged its private transport back to New Zealand for expert restoration,” Jackson said. The egg will join a rare group of nearly intact moa eggs, possibly ranking among the best-preserved examples.

Paul Scofield, senior curator of natural history at Canterbury Museum and an adviser to the project, called the prospect of reintroducing moa birds an exciting and unprecedented experiment. He noted the significance for the Maori people to engage directly with an extinct species and described potential economic opportunities arising from the project.

The moa egg’s return represents both a symbolic and practical step in ongoing efforts to understand and potentially restore this iconic species to New Zealand’s ecological and cultural landscape.