California Condor Skull Replica
$152.00
The California Condor, once near extinction, is now recovering due to captive breeding and release programs. This large bird has a wingspan reaching over 9 feet. Condors, like most vultures, are scavengers with a diet consisting almost exclusively of carrion.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
California Condor Skull Replica (Gymnogyps californianus) Information
California Condor Skull Replica measures 6.0 x 2.2 x 2.3 inches. Gymnogyps californianus skull is museum-quality polyurethane resin cast from Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara specimen, 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). 1:1. Made in USA.
The adult California condor is a uniform black with the exception of large triangular patches or bands of white on the underside of the wings.
It has gray legs and feet, an ivory-colored bill, a frill of black feathers surrounding the base of the neck, and brownish red eyes.
The condor’s head and neck have few feathers, and the skin of the head and neck is capable of flushing noticeably in response to emotional state, a capability that can serve as communication between individuals.
The California condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird.
It became extinct in the wild in 1987 (all remaining wild individuals were captured), but has since been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah (including the Grand Canyon area and Zion National Park), the coastal mountains of central and southern California, and northern Baja California.
Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps.
Its 9.8 ft. wingspan is the widest of any North American bird, and its weight of up to 26 lbs. nearly equals that of the trumpeter swan, the heaviest among native North American bird species.
The California condor is a scavenger and eats large amounts of carrion. It is one of the world’s longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years.
The middle toe of the California condor’s foot is greatly elongated, and the hind one is only slightly developed. The talons of all the toes are straight and blunt, and are thus more adapted to walking than gripping.
This is more similar to their supposed relatives the storks than to birds of prey and Old World vultures, which use their feet as weapons or organs of prehension.
Scientific Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Cathartiformes
- Family: Cathartidae
- Genus: Gymnogyps
- Species: G. californianus
- Binomial name: Gymnogyps californianus (Shaw, 1797)
- Conservation status: Critically Endandered (IUCN 3.1)
The largest North American land bird, this skull shows the specialized bill for tearing carrion. CAS records document the unique cranial kinesis of this species. Study alongside the California condor disarticulated skeleton, turkey vulture skull, and king vulture skull. View additional rare bird specimens in our bird or aves replica store.
Additional information
| Weight | 5.0 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.0 × 2.2 × 2.3 in |
