A. macao Skull Replica or Scarlet Macaw Skull measures 4.2 inches. A. macao Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw). Made in USA.
The Scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas.
Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowlands of 1,600 ft. and up to 3,300 ft., the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba.
Scarlet macaw eggs are white, elliptical, and about 1.8 in x 1.3 in. The female scarlet macaw lays 2 to 4 eggs in a nest cavity, and the eggs hatch after about 24 to 26 days. When the chicks hatch, they are blind and featherless. They fledge the nest around 3.5 months old.
Formerly, the northern extent of A. macao or the Scarlet Macaw’s range included southern Tamaulipas.
In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common.
It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the Scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage.
In May 2013, it was announced that a team of scientists, led by Dr. Christopher M. Seabury and Dr. Ian Tizard of Texas A&M University had sequenced the complete genome of A. macao or the Scarlet Macaw.
Based on this genome, species-specific microsatellite genetic markers were developed to aid genetic studies throughout the range of the species.
These genetic markers were later validated on the trace amount of DNA acquired from feathers, and applied to study red-and-green macaws in a tropical landscape where DNA can degrade very quickly.
These markers were proven to be useful to study their population genetics and identification of A. macao or the Scarlet Macaw individuals in the landscape of the Peruvian Amazon.
