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.
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1 April 2003
A non-intrusive method for measuring movements and seed dispersal in cassowaries
Andrew L. Mack,
Gretchen Druliner
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Journal of Field Ornithology
Vol. 74 • No. 2
April 2003
Vol. 74 • No. 2
April 2003
Casuariidae
gut passage
Papua New Guinea
telemetry