200-year-old
mystery surrounding iconic Australian bird
Date: February 13, 2019
Source: La Trobe University
A team of
Australian scientists has completed research that could help solve a
200-year-old mystery surrounding an iconic Australian bird.
The La
Trobe University researchers have published new evidence in Scientific Reports on the southern
cassowary and its distinctive helmet -- known as a casque.
Danielle
Eastick, from La Trobe's Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution and
her team have shown the cranial structure acts like a radiator or "thermal
window" to help the large, flightless birds keep cool in hot weather.
"Our
results are quite compelling and it's highly probable this is what the casque
is actually used for," Ms Eastick said.
"It's
really exciting to think we may have solved a mystery that has baffled
scientists for so long."
Using a
handheld thermal imaging device, Ms Eastick obtained readings from 20 captive
cassowaries, from Victoria through to northern Queensland and in different
weather conditions.
The
images showed that the birds released minimal heat from their casque when the
weather was just five degrees and the greatest levels when the mercury reached
36 degrees.
Ms
Eastick explained that as a large bodied, dark feathered creature, which is
native to northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea, cassowaries face a thermal challenge
in high temperatures.
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