A non-intrusive method for measuring movements and seed dispersal in cassowaries

Andrew L. Mack; Gretchen Druliner

doi:10.1648/0273-8570-74.2.193

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Andrew L. Mack,^1,* Gretchen Druliner^**

¹Wildlife Conservation Society, P.O. Box 277, Goroka, EHP, Papua New Guinea

^*Corresponding author. amack@wcs.org
^**Current address: The Peregrine Fund, 5666 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho 83709 USA

Abstract

We describe a method for measuring gut passage time and seed dispersal distance for a large terrestrial frugivore. We attached temperature data loggers to radio transmitters in baits that were ingested by free-ranging cassowaries. The resulting data yielded information on how fast the unit passed through the gut (3–4 h) and how far they were moved (240–325 m), an analog for dispersed seeds. Additionally, the data loggers revealed that cassowaries reingest fecal matter, the first observation of coprophagy in wild cassowaries.

Citation Download Citation

Andrew L. Mack and Gretchen Druliner "A non-intrusive method for measuring movements and seed dispersal in cassowaries," Journal of Field Ornithology 74(2), 193-196, (1 April 2003). https://doi.org/10.1648/0273-8570-74.2.193

Received: 8 April 2002; Accepted: 1 October 2002; Published: 1 April 2003