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Gular skin (throat skin), inornithology, is an area offeatherless skin on birds that joins the lowermandible of thebeak (orbill) to the bird'sneck.[1] Other vertebrate taxa may have a comparable anatomical structure that is referred to as either a gular sac, throat sac,vocal sac orgular fold.
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Gular skin can be very prominent, for example in members of the orderPhalacrocoraciformes as well as inpelicans (which likely share a common ancestor). In many species, the gular skin forms a flap, orgular pouch, which is generally used to store fish and other prey while hunting.
Incormorants, the gular skin is often colored, contrasting with the otherwise plain black or black-and-white appearance of the bird. This presumably serves some function in social signalling, since the colors become more pronounced in breeding adults.
Infrigatebirds, the gular skin (orgular sac orthroat sac) is used dramatically. During courtship display, the male forces air into the sac, causing it to inflate over a period of 20 minutes into a startling huge red balloon.
Because cormorants are closer relatives ofgannets andanhingas (which have no prominent gular pouch) than of frigatebirds or pelicans, it can be seen that the gular pouch is eitherplesiomorphic or was acquired byparallel evolution.
Theorangutan is the only knowngreat ape to have this characteristic, where it is only present in males. In addition, thewalrus and some species ofgibbon, such as thesiamang, have a throat sac. Manyamphibians will inflate theirvocal sac to create certain vocalizations in order to communicate, scare off rivals (to proclaim territory or dominance), and to locate and attract a mate. The gular sac in this instance amplifies their voice to be heard louder and seemingly closer. Some species oflizard also have agular fold and consequently,gular scales.
ThetheropoddinosaurPelecanimimus, which lived in the earlyCretaceous Period 130 million years ago, also had a gular pouch, similar to the pelican after which it is named.
Theconus snail has a throat sac.