Wattle (anatomy)
 |
Look up wattle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds, mammals and other animals. A caruncle is defined as 'A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy'.[1] Within this definition, caruncles in birds include wattles, dewlaps, snoods and earlobes. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap. Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. In some birds, caruncles are erectile tissue and may or may not have a feather covering.[1][2]
Contents |
Birds [edit]
Function [edit]
In birds, wattles are often an ornament for courting potential mates. Large wattles are correlated with high testosterone levels, good nutrition and the ability to evade predators, which in turn indicates a potentially successful mate. It has also been proposed that ornamental organs such as wattles are associated with genes coding for disease resistance.[3]
Examples [edit]
Birds with wattles include:
- From the neck or throat
- Birds of the family Casuarius: the Northern, Southern, and Dwarf cassowaries
- Galliformes (e.g., wild turkeys,[4] chickens)
- Some vultures
- Some lapwings
- The male of the Wattled Starling
- Some[5] Australian wattlebirds (Anthochaera spp.)
- The New Zealand wattlebirds (Callaeidae), which include the Kokako, Tieke or Saddleback, and the Huia
- From below the eyes
- The African Wattle-eye or Puffback Flycatcher
- Many male pheasants
- Spectacled Tyrant
Mammals [edit]
Mammals with wattles include:
- Many domestic goats, as a fleshy protuberance hanging either side of the throat
- Some domestic pigs (such as kunekunes and Lithuanian Native pigs), as a fleshy protuberance hanging either side of the throat
See also [edit]
- Comb (anatomy) - the fleshy structure present atop the heads of many Galliform species
- Dubbing (poultry) - Wattle amputation
References [edit]
- ^ John James Audubon, Dean Amadon, John L Bull. 1967 The Birds of America
- ^ Richard Bowdler Sharpe. 1888. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, British Natural History Museum, Department of Zoology
- ^ "Are large wattles related to particular MHC genotypes in the male pheasant?" Mariella Baratti, Martina Ammannati, Claudia Magnelli, Alessandro Massolo and Francesco Dessì-Fulgheri
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael "Wild Turkey: Meleagris gallopavo", GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg 2008
- ^ John White. 1790. Voyage to New South Wales
