Page 160 - For Men of Understanding

THE HEAT TECHNOLOGY OF THE
The male megapode digs a hole
for its eggs.
158 For Men of Understanding
MEGAPODE BIRD
A bird called the "megapode" living in the
Pacific islands prepares an interesting "incuba-
tion machine" for its offspring.
During the summer season, the female
megapode lays one egg every six days.
However, the eggs of the megapode are rela-
tively big compared to its size, being almost as
big as an ostrich egg. For this reason, the female
megapode can only incubate one egg.
Therefore, every six days, the new hatched eggs
are in danger of dying due to lack of heat.
However, this is not a problem for the
megapode, because the male megapode is cre-
ated with the skill to manufacture an incubation
machine by using the most abundant materials
in nature, that is, sand and earth.
For this purpose, six months before the
spawning season comes, the male megapode
starts to dig a hole 5 metres in diameter and 1
metre in depth with its gigantic claws. Then, it
fills the hole with wet weed and leaves. The
main purpose is to use the heat produced by the
bacteria in decaying plants to warm the eggs.
However, additional arrangements have to
be made for this process to take place. The actu-
al reason why plants decay and release heat is
the funnel-shaped hole made by the megapode
in the pile of plants. This hole enables rainwater
to leak into the nest and keep the organic sub-
stances wet. Because of the damp, decay takes
place in the plants beneath the sand, and heat is
released. Soon before spring, the drought sea-
son for Australia starts, and the male begins to
air the decayed plant layer. This is to maintain
the heat balance. The female bird occasionally
visits the hole and checks whether the male is
working or not. Finally, the female lays eggs on
the sand over the decayed plants.