Image caption In South Africa, a vulture named Tockie was first to detect hornets’ sting in an infested area in 1999
Scientists say a new species of vulture has developed special gut bacteria to spit off flesh to feed on.
The three-metre (10ft) high vulture was reported first in South Africa.
Scientists have found vultures that have developed a special gut bacteria that thrives on meat. It normally “breathes” of sweat in order to slurp up its meals.
This vulture could make a big difference to protecting against diseases like Ebola in Africa, the researchers say.
The research team from the University of London and Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand published their findings in the journal Zookeys.
They named the new species of vulture after the first black republic of South Africa. It is now thought that the first was Tockie.
The vulture was named after the first black republic of South Africa, which came into being in 1994
The team found that vultures in a remote area of South Africa developed a special gut bacteria that “breathes” sweat when it bores into meat to dispose of a meal.
They observed the change after searching for a specific type of bat fly, which is a food source for vultures.
Although the team was surprised by the finding, they believe this behaviour could make a big difference to the continent’s vulnerable populations of African wild dogs, vultures and meerkats.
The vulture could also provide a powerful tool in the fight against Ebola in Africa, the team says.
According to a 2014 article in the New Scientist magazine, vultures can detect the virus by finding the smell of rotting flesh, a sure sign of an Ebola infection.
The researchers said further research was required to establish whether the vulture’s gut bacteria was toxic to humans and whether it could be used as a biological barrier in the fight against Ebola.