Wild+Turkey+-+Modern+Animal

Ryan Lee 10A

< Ancient Animal: Californian Turkey

Future Animal: Teriyaki Turkey >

=Wild Turkey:= The Wild Turkey is native to North America and a cousin of the domestic turkey. There are 6 subspecies but the most numerous one is the Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) Other mamals in the "Aves" class includes the Vulture.

Scientific Classification:
Binomial Name: Meleagris Gallopavo (Wild Turkey) Meleagris Gallopavo Silvestris (Eastern Wild Turkey)
 * Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordata ||
 * Class || Aves ||
 * Order || Galliformes ||
 * Family || Phasinidae ||
 * Subfamily || Meleagridinae ||
 * Genus || Meleagris ||
 * Species || M. Gallopavo ||
 * Subspecies || Silvestris﻿ ||

Habitat:
The Eastern Wild Turkey is native to the Eastern half of the United States with a few flocks scattered on the West Coastwhere the situations are similar. They live in environments that range from softwood forests to hardwood forests and farms or pastures in states such as New England, southern Canada to northern Florida. Other states they inhabit include Texas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota, but the species has also been transplanted into habitats in areas like California, Oregon and Washington. The eastern subspecies is considered to be the most versatile of all the wild turkey subspecies. The other subspecies inhabit other parts of the United States.

Wild turkeys are non-migratory birds, andhave adapted to live in a great variety of conditions. In winter, they rely onspring seeps, thermal cover, and travel corridors to survive in the harsh cold.Spring seeps provide the food source for the winter and thermal cover acts as asort of shelter for the birds. Conifer trees block wind which reduces the cold and the branches limit the amount of snow build up around the trunk. In summer,they do not have to worry as much about finding a source of food as much as they can thrive on foods that can be found easily in the warm temperature such as berries and grasses that are plentiful in their natural habitat.

Many species of organisms inhabit the same habitat as the wild turkey as they require food sources that may exist in the hardwood forests in the Eastern coast of the United States. Mammals that live in these forests include snakes of all sizes and shapes, lizards, skunks, crows, ravens,possums, raccoons, dogs and coyotes. Other avian species include owls, and hawks. These mentioned animals are all predators of the wild turkey and collectively provide the pressure required for evolution. Other animals that populate the area include toads, box turtles, squirrels and chipmunks, and plants that make up the forest include oaks, sassafras, redbuds, and Dutchman’s-Breeches.

Wild turkeys have adapted to become omnivorous animals. Adult turkeys eat a wide variety of plant and animal matter and poults double their weight each week for the first 4 weeks by eating large amounts of insects and animal matter. This provides the protein they need to develop rapidly.As turkeys mature, plant material becomes their primary source of food. About 90% of the mature turkey's diet comes from plants.

Structural Adaptation 1:

 * The Wild Turkey has enhanced eyesight caused by the [[image:WIld_Turkey.png align="right" caption="Wild Turkey Adaptations Labeled by Ryan Lee, retrieved from: http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=3&did=28032"]]growth of a bone around the eye called the sclerotic ring; it protects the eyes, also helps to distinguish friends from foes.
 * This allows the species to survive as it helps them spot predators and escape.
 * The environmental pressure that caused this adaptation was the predators that hunted the Wild Turkey. It forced it to spot movement to survive. Compared to the Californian Turkey, this species was much more successful as its range encompassed a much greater area which suggests that this adaptation has been of great use to the species.

Structural Adaptation 2:

 * The Wild Turkey has feathers that act as a coat to protect the turkey in winter.
 * It helps it to survive and reproduce otherwise it will freeze.
 * The environmental pressure that caused this was the harsh winters the species had to survive in. The feathers that they developed could have been used as material for building nests and having warm feathers could protect the poults from dying at a young age.

Behavioural Adaptation 1:

 * The Wild Turkey las one egg every day; each egg is incubated for at least 28 days so if a predator comes it cannot take more than one egg so the survival of thespecies is heightened.
 * This helps the species survive as it ensures a greater number of poults reaching maturity.
 * The environmental pressure that contributed to this adaptation was probably a great number of predators eating newly laid eggs.To adapt to this, the species has developed a behaviour to get around this situation and will ensure that more of its young will reach maturity. This is evident as the species flourishes all over the North American continent.

Behavioural Adaptation 2:

 * The Wild Turkey became omnivorous; they eat some amphibians as well as the surrounding vegetation of the plains.
 * This allows the species to survive as it does not have to rely on only one food source
 * The environment they have adapted to perhaps contains too little vegetation to support this species alone which is possibly how it forced the species into becoming omnivorous; its annual diet consists of 90% plant and 10% animal matter. This has also proved that the turkey is good at adapting to its environment as there are many subspecies of Wild Turkey that cover almost the whole of North America.

Behavioural Adaptation 3:

 * Imprinting is an ability for the flock or poults (Wild Turkey young) to recognize their species and mother almost instantly after birth
 * This allows the species to survive as the young instantly knows what the enemies are and what animals are safe to hang around with
 * The environmental pressure could be the young being constantly eaten by predators; this allows the young to be safer and more will reach maturity. This is an indispensible skill as without it, the species will perish and many poults would not reach maturity.

Bibliography:
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 * Landowner's Guide: Wild Turkeys. (n.d.). //DNR//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []
 * Wild Turkey Predators, Wild Turkey Predation: National Wild Turkey Federation. (n.d.). //National Wild Turkey Federation//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []
 * Wild Turkey Winter Habitat - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. (n.d.). //New York State Department of Environmental Conservation//. Retrieved June 25, 2011, from [].
 * Wild Turkeys, All About Turkeys: National Wild Turkey Federation. (n.d.). //National Wild Turkey Federation//. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from []