Cassowaries = actual dinosaurs. I love them. From over here in the US >_>
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Cassowaries = actual dinosaurs. I love them. From over here in the US >_>
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mdg1109 (04-02-2016), The Pinkertons (04-02-2016)
It's beautiful. I come from there originally. I'd never move back, but it's a nice (not to mention close) place to visit. A number of years ago I was on holiday there and met some wild kea in the alps, which was pretty neat. Thankfully they weren't destroying the car we were in!
I love the look of the Bush stone Curlew, with those big bright eyes and striped feathers. The cassowaries are quite intimidating to me and for sure I would stay clear of them. I do however love the beautiful blue color the one in the pic is sporting. I haven't google about them but for sure those feet are strong and those nails are sharp for a good reason. I suspect for defense and maybe for finding food in the wild.
Today a new item about red pigments in birds on the Beeb. Enjoy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36302791
Here's a teaser
"A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom
Mare (05-21-2016)
Did You Know ...Major Mitchell's, aka (Leadbeaters) Cockatoos are the only Avian Species that are genetically imprinted with naturally occurring red/pink factor in their DNA CODE.
Case in point to your very informative interesting article is the "Pink Flamingo" their main food source are shrimp which contain high levels of Astaxanthin...
REFERANCED WIKIPEDIA= Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid. It belongs to a larger class of chemical compounds known as terpenes, which are built from five carbon precursors; isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. Astaxanthin is classified as a xanthophyll, but currently employed to describe carotenoid compounds that have oxygen-containing moities, hydroxyl or ketone, such as zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Indeed, astaxanthin is a metabolite of zeaxanthin and/or canthaxanthin, containing both hydroxyl and ketone functional groups. Like many carotenoids, astaxanthin is a colorful, lipid-soluble pigment. This colour is due to the extended chain of conjugated double bonds at the centre of the compound. This chain of conjugated double bonds is also responsible for the antioxidant function of astaxanthin as it results in a region of decentralized electrons that can be donated to reduce a reactive oxidizing molecule.
Dragonlady2 (05-20-2016), kendrafitz (05-20-2016), Mare (05-21-2016)
I understood every word of that... except the long ones.REFERANCED WIKIPEDIA= Astaxanthin
I knew about flamingos and I think I read that some canaries were turned red by feeding them cayenne (or something), must have been before selective breeding became the norm.
"A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom
I believe so...I think most ''Naturally sourced'' deeply colored foods enhance the melanocytes (Cells that manufacture Pigment) in Human Skin or the pigment controlling factors in Avian Species and other Animals.
Interesting is, besides producing color, "Phytonutrients" also protect our skin from the cumulative effects of uva/uvb= ultra violet aging/ultra violet burning rays of the sun. That destroys the telomeres' of our DNA strands CAUSING PREMATURE AGENG OFTHE SKN.
Along with, the added bonus of enhancing the longevity of our cells, by helping to take the "spin off" the oxidative action of free radical damage . In essence,we all should, including our birds, load-up on nutrient dense foods . Foods with Color ...Eat The Rainbow!
Last edited by The Pinkertons; 05-20-2016 at 11:15 PM.
I remember about telomeres. They bind together and protect the ends of the chromosomes from unraveling like the plastic sleeves on shoelace ends (effect: the DNA strands begin to unwind and fray). So when telomeres start degrading, we have literally started falling apart... likely never to fully recover. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
He wanted to live. He was my Heaven... He's gone!
The Pinkertons (05-21-2016)