Wild+Turkey+-+Future+Teriyaki+Turkey

Ryan Lee 10A

< Modern Animal: Wild Turkey < Extinct Animal: Californian Turkey

=Wild Turkey - Teriyaki Turkey= In the near future, approximately 1500 years later, the world will be a barren wasteland and only the fittest of animals survive due to global warming. This is one of the species that has managed to adapt. The species flourishes in Texas as its ancestor, the Wild Turkey managed to adapt quickly and change a lot of its features. For example, due to the extreme heat, the Wild Turkey grew short fur instead of feathers which allowed it to survive the extreme heat.

Scientific Classification:
Binomial Name; Meleagris Teriyakius
 * Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordata ||
 * Class || Aves ||
 * Order || Galliformes ||
 * Family || Phasinidae ||
 * Subfamily || Meleagridinae ||
 * Genus || Meleagris ||
 * Species || M. Teriyakius ||

Habitat:
In the future where global warming has taken its toll, the world is a barren wasteland. Plumes of dust and dirt swirl around in catastrophic storms. In this habitat, only animals with the ability to burrow underground or expel heat extraordinarily can survive, such as rodents like mice or squirrels, some mammals such as armadillos, reptiles like snakes (cobras and boa constrictors), arachnids such as spiders, and insects including cockroaches and centipedes. Animals like the beaverine live in the few remaining pools of water.

The teriyaki turkey is a unique species, having evolved from wild turkeys living in Texas that have adapted to the weather conditions there. This species is endemic to the Texan state as all other ancestors before it have succumbed to the adverse weather conditions. As the whole world is a gigantic wasteland, the conditions all over the world are roughly the same but the species can be said to be generally contained within the vast area of land known as Texas.

The climate they live in is extremely hot and extremely cold at different times of the day, and is prone to spontaneous hurricanes. There is almost no water and little plant life. The landscape is almost identical to our deserts today; brown, sandy and with hugely variable temperatures; freezing nights and boiling days. This is why the teriyaki turkey has adapted to burrow underground toescape the extremes in temperature.

To survive, the teriyaki turkey has to find food and water. Because of it’s evolved organs, the teriyaki turkey can convert animal matter into liquids essential for survival. Through the use of its powerful claws, the turkey can devour small mammals and insects to acquire the necessary nutrients for growth. Although there is a change in the supply of plants, the Teriyaki Turkey is still omnivorous and feeds of the dry roots of plants where-ever possible. The protein supplied by digesting and consuming the animal matter helps to develop stronger muscles and the animal matter may be regurgitated to serve as food for the young.

Structural Adaptation 1:

 * Originally, the Wild Turkey had feathers. [[image:Teriyaki_Turkey2.jpg width="376" height="501" align="right" caption="Teriyaki Turkey: Labeled and drawn by Ryan Lee"]]This became short fur to provide greater ventilation which leads to increased heat loss.
 * Allows the species to survive better as it will not overheat and just die without provocation.
 * The main environmental pressure that caused this change was global warming as it drastically changed the habitat greatly so it had to develop fur in order to survive. Because it lives underground now, the species no longer requires wings to survive and flee from predators as it can burrow into the sand.

Structural Adaptation 2:

 * The talons on the Teriyaki Turkey became sharper, which allows the teriyaki turkey to tunnel underground and kill insects with hard shells.
 * Contributes to the survival of the species by helping it survive in the extreme heat and catch food.
 * The main environmental pressure that caused this change was global warming. As the turkey now resides underground, it requries sharper weapons to defend itself from new predators that may exist under the ground.

Structural Adaptation 3:

 * The feathers of the Wild Turkey was dark brown and white. However, the Teriyaki Turkey adapted and feathers became brown fur which provides camouflagewith the surroundings.
 * Allows the species to survive better as they can avoidpredators better.
 * The environmental pressure that caused this change was the amount of hunting by predators. Originally having white and black feathers, it stood out greatly against the environment and could be easily spotted and eaten. As a result of this, they have adapted to match the colour of the environment in Texas.

Structural Adaptation 4:

 * The Teriyaki Turkey has eyes that are adjusted to seeing in the dark; the pupils are dilated which provide better eyesight underground.
 * Allows the species to survive by helping it find food underground more easily
 * The environmental pressures that caused this change include global warming and living underground. The eyes of the ancestor could not see well enough at night as its preferred roosting times were during the day. This way, the Teriyaki Turkey is better suited to its environment and will produce more successful offspring.

Structural Adaptation 5:

 * Teriyaki Turkeys have grown glands that create water from solid foods which allows water to be secreted from animal matter.
 * Allows the species to survive by making the species have a higher survival rate as they do not need to search for water.
 * .The main environmental pressure that caused this change was global warming. The Teriyaki Turkey's ancesroe, the Wild Turkey, had to find lots of sources of water to complement its diet in order to survive. This adaptation will allow the species to survive in the harshest of conditions and breed strong and resilient offspring.

Environmental Pressure that caused the extinction of the modern animal:
Global warming became a big issue for the Wild Turkeys. The trees around them were being cut down and they became more and more exposed to the elements. The harsh sunlight began to bake them and the species gradually dwindled. Another factor that led to the demise of the species was the over-hunting of the Wild turkey. As global warming increased, humans were unable to supply enough staple foods so they resorted to eating more meat; specifically turkey. This led to the excessive hunting of the Wild Turkey and the population declined greatly.

Bibliography:

 * Eastern Wild Turkey. (n.d.). //National Wild Turkey Federation//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from [|www.nwtf.org/conservation/bulletins/bulletin_1_9-9-09.pdf]
 * Wildlife Profile: Eastern wild turkey - N.H. Fish and Game. (n.d.). //NH Fish and Game Department - Welcome//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []
 * Climate Change | U.S. EPA. (n.d.). //US Environmental Protection Agency//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []