Thick fog seemed to be the dominant weather of the week, well that and biting wind and piles of ice. In other words, quite boring weather. Last week’s animal, the Trembling Sea Mat, looked boring but turned out to be quite interesting as did the interaction between animals and plants. This week we are celebrating Chinese New year, in particular the Year of the Rooster. Hope you guys enjoy. _________________________________________________________________

Issue #157 – Red Jungle Fowl

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Aves

Order – Galliformes

Family – Phasianinae

Genus – Gallus

Species – gallus

Related Species - The Red Jungle Fowl is one of five species of jungle fowl, and is the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) (1)

Range

Year of the Rooster

Red Jungle Fowl are medium sized ground birds who reach a body length of about 45cm, although male birds get larger thanks to the long green plumes that make up their tails. Male and female birds exhibit sexual dimorphism in this species, with the female plumage designed to blend in with her surroundings whereas the male Jungle Fowl’s plumage evolved to make it stand out against the background. Both genders hold their tails horizontal and have slate grey legs, but only the male has a comb and wattle unlike domestic chicken and chicken-jungle-fowl hybrids where both genders display this feature.

Like their domestic descendants Red Jungle Fowl are omnivores and feed on seeds, insects and fruit. When threatened jungle-fowl take flight, and while stronger fliers than domestic chickens, are unable to keep aloft for long periods (2), and often use it to get into the branches of trees to evade ground predators. To reduce the potential of predation Red Jungle Fowl live in groups, often mixed gender, ruled by a strict pecking order with dominant animals getting access to mates first.

Male Red Jungle Fowl undergo a colour change prior to the breeding season, with the golden neck plumage turning black (in a process known as eclipsing) and attracts the hens attention by crowing, albeit a shorter call then that produced by domestic roosters (3). Upon mating female Jungle Fowl will retain the sperm from one or two dominant roosters and eject that of other birds that mate her, before fertilisation occurs. The hen will later lay up to seven eggs and incubate them for three weeks before the eggs hatch into fully formed chicks, which are able to feed themselves. Chicks will stay with their family group until they are twelve weeks old, after which they will be chased away and form their own groups of same age animals.

Five to Save #15 - Wild Ancestors

While the Red Jungle Fowl is in no danger of becoming extinct, pure birds are quite rare due to both competition with its domestic relatives as well as interbreeding that overrides certain genetic characteristics found in the base wild stock. While forming a partnership with humanity has certainly worked out for all the creatures below, they now face competition in regards to food, resources and genetic diversity from their domestic descendants who, after centuries of artificial selection are very different animals to their wild ancestors.

African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) Status: Critically Endangered

Threats: Genetic Interbreeding - One of the most endangered animals in the world, as well as being hunted with anti-air guns in its native range of Somalia and Ethiopia, the African Wild Ass is threatened by interbreeding with domestic donkeys (E.africanus asinus). The mixing of DNA favours the traits found in the domestic sub-species, and effectively reduces the viable population of an already critically endangered species (4).

Mouflon (Ovis orientallis) Status: Vulnerable

Threats: Agricultural Expansion - One of the potential ancestors of the domestic sheep the expansion of agricultural land into the territories of Mouflon has cut off populations and limits the genepools. Mouflon are often forced to graze alongside domestic sheep and often pick up diseases that their bodies are unable to cope with or are shot, not only for competing with their domestic cousins, but also to claim the impressive horns of the rams as trophies.

Przewalski’s Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) Status: Endangered

Threats: Poaching - The closest relative to the true ancestor of the domestic horse (E. ferus ferus) and the only true extant wild horses this species was extinct in the wild until reintroductions in the 1980s and 90s by zoological societies from Europe and China, as well as habitat creation by the Mongolian government created space for reintroduction. After an initial rise in population, extensive poaching has reduced the Mongolian population to about forty animals, although the Ukranina population released into the grounds of Chernobyl is still healthy and growing.

Wild Bactrian Camel (Camelus ferus) Status: Critically Endangered

Threats: Hunting and Desertification - With a population of only 1400 animals (this includes individuals in captivity) the Bactrian Camel is the eight most endangered large mammal in the world. Ironically, as well as hunting (which sometimes involves using land mines to cripple the camel), the expansion of the Gobi Desert and greater consumption of the oasis found in the interior is driving this species into extinction as individuals go longer without water, before eventually dying of thirst (5).

Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee) Status: Endangered

Threats: Habitat Destruction - The Wild Water Buffalo is a very different animal to its tame descendents, being larger and far more unpredictable. As their name suggests this species is a wetland specialists, a habitat that is shrinking at a rapid rate to make room for new towns and agricultural land. In addition the gene pool of the Wild Water Buffalo is in danger of pollution from Domestic Water Buffalo (B.bubalus) and is susceptible to an array of diseases found in domestic bovids.

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - Evans, C. S.; Macedonia, J. M.; Marler, P. (1993), "Effects of apparent size and speed on the response of chickens, Gallus gallus, to computer-generated simulations of aerial predators", Animal Behaviour, 46 (1): 1–11

3 - Collias, N. E. (1987), "The vocal repertoire of the red junglefowl: A spectrographic classification and the code of communication", The Condor, 89 (3): 510–524

4 - http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=13

5 - New' camel lives on salty water". BBC Nature. 6 February 2001. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

Picture References

1 - http://photo.birdwatchingvietnam.net/assets/red-junglefowl/re-junglefowl.jpg

2 - http://www.hbw.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/maps/checklist/red_junglefowl_gallus_gallus_distribution_map.jpg?itok=Qbc2kh4p

3 - http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/chickens/images/2/25/Red_jungle_fowl_rooster_and_hen_walking_away.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110126002758

4 - http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/3B/3B530055-B61F-4866-AE22-FD7ECECC0014/Presentation.Large/Male-European-mouflon.jpg

5 - https://3c1703fe8d.site.internapcdn.net/newman/gfx/news/hires/2011/praguezoohas.jpg

Well as the rooster crows in the new year we must spare a thought for those animals who helped us get here and now are in trouble. Next week’s animal is responsible for a weird noise, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

新年快乐

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? To celebrate the Year of the Goat click here to meet the grumpy Takin. Or to look back at the tail end of the Year of the Monkey, click here to see the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey.