I have only just come in on this discussion. I recollect similar
confusion over a 16th century portrait of a child, I think a young
Russell from the Duke of Bedford's family, with a yellow-crested
cockatoo - the conclusion was that it was a Wallacean species, which
would have come to Western Europe with Dutch East Indian trade. Plumes
from Birds of Paradise were traded along the Spice Routes, and I see no
reason why a live Cockatoo might not have survived long-distance travel.
Large seed-eating birds are not hard to transport.
The Tigers occasionally seen in Rome probably came from Persia -
there used to be a Caspian subspecies, probably now extinct. They were
found in forested regions, while lions were found in more steppe-like
habitats. I believe that a very few Leopards still survive.
Anthea Fleming
On 19/03/2014 2:15 PM, Andrew Taylor wrote:
Parrots (Psitticula sp.) apparently survived the journey from India
to ancient Rome, so its quite plausible a cockatoo would survived
a longer journey 2000 years later. Tigers which are less portable -
also apparently survived the journey to ancient Rome from India.
Andrew
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