Eurasian Griffon Vulture

Gyps fulvus

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Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: none

Kingdom: none

Phylum: none

Class: Reptilia

Order: Accipitriformes

Family: Accipitridae

Genius: Gyps

Species: Gyps fulvus

Descendant: accipitridae

Named by: Carl Ludwig Hablitz

Year Published: 1783

Size: 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7 ft 7 in – 9 ft 2 in) wingspan; 4.5 to 15 kg (9.9 to 33.1 lb)

Lifespan: 41.4 years

Activity: Diurnal

Type: 

Title(s): 

Other Name(s)/Alias(es): 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳

Time Period: Pleistocene–Holocene

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★★

Diet: Scavenger 🥓

Elements: Air 🌬️; dark 🌑

Inflicts: all

Weaknesses: Electric ⚡, ice ❄️, metal 🔩

Casualties: ???

Based On: Itself

Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List

The Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the Eurasian griffon.

Etymology

The genus name is from Ancient Greek gyps meaning "vulture".

Physical Appearance

The griffon vulture is 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7 ft 7 in–9 ft 2 in) wingspan. In the nominate race (Gyps fulvus fulvus), the males weigh 6.2 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb) and females typically weigh 6.5 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb), while in the Indian subspecies (Gyps fulvus fulvescens), the vultures average 7.1 kg (16 lb). Extreme adult weights have been reported from 4.5 to 15 kg (9.9 to 33.1 lb), the latter likely a weight attained in captivity. Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a white head, broad wings, and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers.

Abilities

The old world vultures depend on sight to find food, and can see dead animals from a distance of up to two kilometers. Vultures have the strongest gastric acid in the Animal Kingdom. With a pH of just over 0, it's stronger than battery acid AND 100 times stronger than ours (pH 2). The powerful "gizzard gravy" kills any anthrax, botulism, and other bacteria the birds swallow feeding from carcasses.


Griffon vultures have been used as model organisms for the study of soaring and thermoregulation. The energy costs of level flight tend to be high, prompting alternatives to flapping in larger birds. Vultures in particular utilize more efficient flying methods such as soaring. Compared to other birds, which elevate their metabolic rate to upwards of 16 times their basal metabolic rate in flight, soaring griffon vultures expend about 1.43 times their basal metabolic rate in flight. Griffon vultures are also efficient flyers in their ability to return to a resting heart rate after flight within ten minutes.


As large scavengers, griffon vultures have not been observed to seek shelter for thermoregulation. Vultures use their bald heads as a means to thermoregulate in both extreme cold and hot temperatures. Changes in posture can increase bare skin exposure from 7% to 32%. This change allows for the more than doubling of convective heat loss in still air.

Weather Phenomenon

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Ecology

Griffon vultures have also been found to tolerate increased body temperatures as a response to high ambient temperatures. By allowing their internal body temperature to change independently of their metabolic rate, griffon vultures minimize their loss of water and energy in thermoregulating. One study in particular (Bahat 1995) found that these adaptations have allowed the Griffon vulture to have one of the widest thermal neutral zones of any bird.


Similar to other vultures, it is a scavenger that mostly feeds on animal carcasses that it finds when flying over open spaces, frequently in groups. At roosts or while consuming carrion, it hisses and growls. For an individual in captivity, the griffon vulture's greatest documented lifetime is 41.4 years.


The Eurasian griffon vulture lays a single egg and breeds on mountain crags in Asia, North Africa, and southern Europe. Colonies of Griffon vultures can be loose. Residents make up the majority of the population. In this colonial species, it has been demonstrated that density dependence influences annual reproductive success. As the number of breeding individuals increased, eyries in protected locations (caves, potholes, and sheltered ledges) produced more fledglings and were used preferentially over low-quality eyries (exposed ledges and open crevices).

Behavior

Vultures have evolved to eat dead animals and have no reason to attack a live human or pet. However, if cornered or handled, they may bite or vomit. 

Distribution and Habitat

This particular vulture was found in central Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe. While many birds are resident or nomadic, some migrate and spend the winter in Africa. It has been demonstrated to fly at elevations of 10,000 meters and above and mostly depends on soaring flight. The griffon vulture is a bird that inhabits large open spaces in a variety of habitats, including semi-desert and mountains. It is frequently observed at elevations of up to 3,000 meters above sea level.


Tamed

To tame a vulture, the survivor must steal its egg. The offspring of these eggs must be fed any kind of milk, which can be obtained from a number of sources, once they hatch. All vulture species are immediately domesticated when they hatch from an egg because the survivor is always within 12 radii of the hatching egg. If the vulture isn't already tamed, it can be tamed using a carcass or rotten flesh. 


To put it briefly, no, vultures cannot be kept as pets. Nonetheless, there are numerous opportunities to engage with vultures up close. Look for a nearby wildlife facility where you can help with a non-releasable vulture. Or, if you have a genuine love for animals, consider going into rehabilitation yourself. If you are a member of Assassin Order or Templar Knight, you are prohibited from taking, possessing, importing, exporting, transporting, selling, buying, bartering, or offering for sale, buying, or bartering any migratory bird without a federal permission.

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