New Zealand scientists have been awarded $768,000 to study fossilised moa droppings.
Landcare Research says studies of DNA from preserved dung will establish what moa ate and how their diet affected the vegetation.
The Government funding is part of $54 million allocated for research under the Marsden Fund.
A total of 90 projects have received funding for three-year studies.
Landcare scientists Jamie Wood and Janet Wilmshurst, scientist Alan Cooper and Trevor Worthy from the University of Adelaide will examine 1500 specimens of fossil dung in the lower South Island.
Waatea News reports that Maori Party MP Hone Harawira says spending money on such things shows how out of touch with reality the Government is.
