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- Greater Adjutant
Greater Adjutant
Ciconiiformes, Ciconiidae
Leptoptilos Dubius
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The Greater Adjutant used to be very good at adapting to life with people and many of them could be seen in towns. Today, they are on the brink of extinction because people are cutting down the forests they need to raise their children.
Total length: 145cm
Wing span: 170cm
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
The Greater Adjutant lives in the forests, wetlands, and towns of India and Cambodia.
Greater Adjutants mainly eat dead animal bodies. They also search for food by scavenging through garbage disposal areas.
The Greater Adjutant's behavior of eating dead animal bodies plays an important role as the janitor of wildlife.
Find out more about the Greater Adjutant!
Featherless to stay clean!
The Greater Adjutant is larger than other types of storks, and lives in India and Cambodia. They usually eat dead animal bodies, but every so often they will also eat the garbage that people throw away. In spite of this unsanitary diet of dead bodies and garbage, their bald head keeps bacteria from sticking to their head. This exposed scalp may give the Greater Adjutant an eerie appearance, but it is what helps them maintain their cleanliness.
The Greater Adjutant used to be good at coexisting with people...
The Greater Adjutant used to be a common sight in towns. However, their numbers have declined because people are constantly cutting down the forests where they make their nests and raise their children. Also, the use of pesticides in garbage disposal areas where the Greater Adjutant scavenges for food has increased their rate of death. Once thought to be good at coexisting with people because of their ability to find food in towns, the Greater Adjutant is now in danger of extinction.
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