In Māori tradition, the Maero (or Mohoao) are wild, violent men with long, bony fingers and long, dirty hair. They killed their prey with long, sharp fingernails and then ate them. The Maero were arboreal, hiding in the forests since the Māori arrived from Hawaiki and ruined the tapu (sacredness) of their homes. In a story from the Whanganui are... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maero