National Animal Of Tonga

Officially, Tonga has no national animal. Their national bird, though, which is sometimes also considered to be the national animal, is the Tongan megapode. This is a terrestrial bird native to the island that holds great symbolic significance for the local people. They are sadly a threatened species today.

The megapode, then, is unofficially Tonga’s national animal.

It holds the official position of its national bird, but there is no national animal, so the megapode currently holds the position by default.

It is important to the local people in a great variety of ways, so let’s find out more.

National Animal Of Tonga

 

What is the national animal of Tonga?

Again, Tonga officially speaking has no national animal.

A national animal is usually something that is designated through official, governmental channels, though it is very often selected by popular vote.

So, there is currently no such animal in Tonga that has been properly designated as a national animal.

That said, the Tongan megapode is among the island’s most iconic wildlife, and thus to many it is considered, unofficially, to be the island’s national animal.

This is also the island’s national bird and, as the name suggests, it is a species endemic to the island.

This is a species of bird in the megapode family, also sometimes known as the Polynesian megapode and the Niuafo’o megapode, after the one island it was for a long time exclusive to.

Megapodes more generally are stocky, mid-sized birds that rather resemble chickens or turkeys.

They have small heads, and large feet.

Literally, the word “megapode” means “large feet”.

This is a reference to their heavy legs.

Megapodes, including the Tongan megapode, are browsers, meaning they forage for a wide variety of food.

They are what is known as superprecocial, meaning that when they hatch from their eggs they are in a more mature state than pretty much any other bird.

Their eggs are buried rather than incubated using their body heat.

They are mostly solitary birds except during mating.

The Tongan megapode in particular uses volcanic sands to bury its eggs and heat them.

In parts of their from which they are now extinct, they would use piles of vegetation to keep the eggs warm.

This is why the chicks are so well developed out of the egg: they can take care of themselves immediately so the parents do not need to wait for them to hatch.

Indeed, as soon as they are out of the egg they are capable of flying.

 

Why is the Tongan megapode the national animal of Tonga?

While stressing again that the megapode is only the national animal of Tonga in an unofficial sense, there are many reasons why the megapode would perfectly fit the bill for Tonga’s national animal.

They do hold symbolic significance for the people of Tonga in a number of ways.

They are seen as spirits of the forest and symbols of freedom, liberty and grace.

They are revered to some extent by people on the island as a key member of the island’s natural wildlife and thus they hold great metaphorical significance on the one hand.

On the other, more literal, hand, though, the megapode also embodies the natural beauty of the island of Tonga, too.

They are seen to be the perfect representative of the forests and natural landscapes of the island, though small and humble as they are.

Islands are often represented by birds and particularly by more diminutive animals.

But there is also the question of conservation.

The Tongan megapode is under threat from a variety of sources, such as the poaching of their eggs and the loss of their habitat.

By making them the national animal, great attention could be drawn to their precarious situation and their existence could be preserved.

 

Is a megapode a turkey?

Megapodes are not true turkeys, though one of three main classifications of megapodes are popularly known as brush turkeys.

These, though, are not true turkeys, it is just a popular name.

That said, turkeys and megapodes do both belong to the order Galliformes, which includes wild turkeys.

So, they certainly are very closely related, but they are different species and are not the same.

They are thus also closely related to things like pheasants, partridge, guineafowl and peacocks.

The resemblance is quite clear to see to look at the animals.

 

Where do Tongan megapode live?

Tongan megapode, as their name suggests, are endemic to the island of Tonga and are not found anywhere else.

They are most commonly found in tropical, moist lowland forests, where they can get access to the best range of food, nesting spots and places to lay their eggs.

They have disappeared from much of their former range and were once found much more widely in the Polynesian islands.

The Tongan megapode today is the only species of megapode that survives in Polynesia even though the megapode in the past was often a staple of the diet of people who came to the islands.

 

So, there is again no official national animal in Tonga. The Tongan medapode is the closest thing to the country’s national animal since it is also their national bird.

It is a very important animal both literally and symbolically to the people of the island and has been for a very long time.

One day the Tongan megapode may be chosen officially as Tonga’s national animal though this certainly remains to be seen.

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