GASU mascot

Bar-headed Goose (Eulabeia indica) was chosen as the GASU mascot in 2013. It symbolizes an aspiration to new heights and readiness to overcome all the difficulties.

The bar-headed goose is named for the two conspicuous dark bars running around the back of its white head. It nests beside a variety of highland wetlands, such as mountain lakes, generally at elevations between 4,000 and 5,300 metres and often near rocky outcrops. This is a high-altitude endemic of Central Asia. In Russia it occurs only in Tuva and south-eastern Altai, and is considered to be a threatened species, listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation.

Bar-headed geese can fly higher than Mount Everest, making them the world's highest flying birds. The maximum height of their flight was registered at 10,175 metres above sea level. To be able to do this, the species is physiologically and biochemically adapted to flying at altitudes where oxygen levels and temperatures are both extremely low.

FUN FACTS

1.Bar-headed geese are hardy birds! They are capable of flying through the passes of the highest mountains at heights of 12,000-14,000 feet with winds that blow at speeds of more than 200 mph and temperatures low enough to freeze exposed flesh instantly. At this height, oxygen levels drop by one-third; even kerosene cannot burn there, and helicopters cannot fly.

2.Their powerful and constant flight helps generate body heat, which is retained by their down feathers. Such heat helps keep ice from building up on their wings when flying over mountains.

3.These geese also have a special type of hemoglobin that absorbs oxygen quicker than other birds; they can also extract more oxygen from each breath than other birds.

4.These geese are able to migrate - more than 1,000 miles - in a single day.

5.Scientists believe the geese's yearly migration is triggered by an environmental signal that allows them to miss the summer monsoon season and the worst winter storms.

6.These geese rely on flapping their wings - not on gliding - and are able to fly over 50 miles an hour without wind to assist them. In fact, they are so strong that they are able to fly in crosswinds without being blown off course. (https://seaworld.org/Animal-Info/Animal-Bytes/Birds/Bar-Headed-Goose )

Updated 28.10.2020 by N. Yurkova