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Wattle (anatomy)

Wattle (anatomy) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wattle (anatomy) rather than just read about it. In short: A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles, dewlaps, snoods, and earlobes.

Wattle (anatomy) — main illustration
Wattle (anatomy) — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Wattle (anatomy) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Wattle (anatomy) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Wattle (anatomy) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles, dewlaps, snoods, and earlobes. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap. Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. In some birds, caruncles are erectile tissue and may or may not have a feather covering. Wattles are often such a striking morphological characteristic of animals that they feature in their common name. For example, the southern and northern cassowaries are known as the double-wattled and single-wattled cassowary, respectively, and a breed of domestic pig is known as the Red Wattle.

Birds

Function In birds, wattles are often an ornament for courting potential mates. Large wattles are correlated with high testosterone levels, good nutrition, and the ability to evade predators, which in turn indicates a potentially successful mate. Ornamental organs such as wattles may be associated with genes coding for disease resistance. In umbrellabirds, the wattle serves to amplify the birds' calls.

Examples

Birds with wattles include:

From the neck or throat Birds of the genus Casuarius: the northern, southern, and dwarf cassowaries Galliformes (e.g., wild turkeys, chickens) Some vultures Some lapwings The male of the wattled starling Some Australian wattlebirds (Anthochaera spp.) The New Zealand wattlebirds (Callaeidae), which include the kōkako, tīeke or saddleback, and the huia The wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) Three neotropical bellbird species From below or around the eyes The African wattle-eye or puffback flycatcher The wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) The African wattled lapwing (Vanellus senegallus) Many male pheasants Spectacled tyrant Gracula hill mynas Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) The English carrier pigeon

Mammals Mammals with wattles include:

Some domestic goats have fleshy, fur-covered protuberances, called tassels, hanging on either side of the throat. Some domestic pigs, such as the Kunekune, Lithuanian Native pig, and Red Wattle have a fleshy protuberance hanging on either side of the throat.

Gallery

See also

Dewlap Casque (anatomy) Crest (feathers) Comb (anatomy) - the fleshy structure present atop the heads of many Galliform species Frontal shield Gular pouch Dubbing (poultry) - wattle amputation

References

Illustrations

Wattle (anatomy): A rooster's wattles hang from the throat
A rooster's wattles hang from the throat
Wattle (anatomy): Southern hill myna in southern India shows yellow wattles on the head
Southern hill myna in southern India shows yellow wattles on the head
Wattle (anatomy): An English carrier pigeon with pale wattles around the eyes and beak
An English carrier pigeon with pale wattles around the eyes and beak
Wattle (anatomy) illustration
Wattle (anatomy) illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wattle (anatomy)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wattle (anatomy) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wattle (anatomy) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wattle (anatomy) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wattle (anatomy)

In research
Wattle (anatomy) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Wattle (anatomy) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Wattle (anatomy) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird anatomy, Vertebrate anatomy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Wattle (anatomy) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Wattle (anatomy) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Wattle (anatomy) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Wattle (anatomy) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wattle (anatomy) in simple terms?

A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals. Caruncles in birds include those found on the face, wattles, dewlaps, snoods, and earlobes.

Why does Wattle (anatomy) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wattle (anatomy)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wattle (anatomy).

Tags

  • Bird anatomy
  • Vertebrate anatomy

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