Akino

Akino (アキノ, Akino) is a ninken and a personal summon of Kakashi Hatake.

Background

Akino and the other ninken are summoned to search Orochimaru.
In the anime, some time after Akino and the other ninken made a contract with Kakashi, they aided him search for the fleeing Orochimaru.[1]

Appearance
He has tan fur with one white strip starting from the top of his head and going down his muzzle. He wears sunglasses and the standard outfit of Kakashi's ninken, consisting of a blue vest with the heno-heno-moheji seal and a Konoha forehead protector around his neck.

Abilities

Akino and his pack attacking Kiba.
Akino is among the ninken that has demonstrated the ability to speak. He also has heightened senses with which he can use to track his target with ease. He has also demonstrated the ability to track his target underground through the use of the Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique as well as hold a target down, allowing Kakashi to attack them freely. He also along with exceptional teamwork with the rest of his pack, able to develop and effectively use several offensive and defensive formations in battle which make use of the manoeuvrability and powerful limbs.

Part I
Land of Waves Arc
Kakashi called on Akino and the ninken pack to track and capture the missing-nin Zabuza Momochi. They managed to bite onto the missing-nin and pin him in place. This allowed Kakashi to use Lightning Cutter without fear of a counter attack.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc
Later, Akino and his fellow ninken were summoned by Kakashi to track down Naruto Uzumaki and his team who had gone off in pursuit of Sasuke Uchiha.

Ultimate Weapon Arc
He along with the other ninken were summoned by Kakashi to investigate the Takumi Village.

Part II
Kazekage Rescue Arc
Akino and the ninken pack were called upon to track down the Akatsuki member Sasori, using a small piece of his clothing.

Itachi Pursuit Arc
Some weeks later, Kakashi summoned the pack to help track down Itachi Uchiha. He and Guruko partnered with Shino.

Five Kage Summit Arc
In the anime, Akino was seen along with Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke and Ūhei being deployed by Kakashi each carrying scrolls with intel for the other hidden villages.

Akatsuchi

Akatsuchi (赤ツチ, Akatsuchi) is an Iwagakure shinobi.

Personality
Akatsuchi is a very jovial individual who always seems to have a cheerful disposition. He is also somewhat childish, witnessed through his excited at the prospect of flying once again, even though there was the possibility that they were going off into a battle.[1] He was even excited when he thought Deidara survived the battle against Sasuke Uchiha, despite Deidara being a criminal and their enemy. During battles, he tends to act very level-headed and efficient as the Tsuchikage's bodyguard. He is also fiercely loyal to the Tsuchikage, as he refused to leave his side when he heard of Sasuke's fight, just in case Ōnoki's hip went out. Deidara also attested to the fact that Akatsuchi rarely left Ōnoki's side when he fought the two.[2]

Appearance
Akatsuchi is a large and somewhat imposing man with dark eyes and black hair that spikes out at the back from underneath his forehead protector which he wears like a bandanna. He also has large cheeks, and a plump nose which give him an overall look of constant joviality. He wears the red Iwagakure uniform which has both its sleeves, underneath his flak jacket in addition to a yellow scarf around his neck.

Abilities

Akatsuchi using the Earth Release: Golem Technique.
Akatsuchi has proven himself a capable shinobi. As his size belies, he is quite fast, capable of moving at high speeds as seen from him rushing to the Tsuchikage's side after reacting to A's actions which were interpreted as aggressive during the Kage Summit.[3] He has also shown an amount of strength as well as stamina, being able to effortlessly carry the Tsuchikage, his luggage, and his own for an extended period of time.[4]

Ninjutsu
Nature Transformation
Akatsuchi has also displayed proficiency in using Earth Release techniques. He can mould and expel a large rock golem from his mouth, which is capable of biting off a Zetsu clone's head, and pulling him from Akatsuchi's body. Such a golem can also be used to shield himself and allies from opponent's attacks.[2]

Part II
Five Kage Summit Arc

Akatsuchi accompanying the Tsuchikage to the Summit.
He was setting off with Kurotsuchi to escort the Third Tsuchikage to the Five Kage meeting, called for by the Fourth Raikage. When Ōnoki hurt his hips when trying to carry his bag by himself, Akatsuchi carried him along the way.


The Kage's bodyguards on the offensive.
When the Raikage destroyed his table during the meeting, Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi moved to protect the Tsuchikage after the Raikage's physical outburst, but was soon dismissed by Ōnoki. When White Zetsu appears during the summit, Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi guard the Tsuchikage. Later, when Sasuke infiltrates the meeting room, Akatsuchi and the Tsuchikage decided not to engage him, moving out of the way to let the Fifth Mizukage, deal with him. Later, he is ensnared in Zetsu's Spore Technique. Seeing Sasuke escape Mei, Ōnoki suggests to two of them join the fight. Akatsuchi agrees, and uses the Earth Release: Golem Technique, creating a large, earthen golem which proceeds to bite and rip the Zetsu clone from Akatsuchi's body.

After Tobi told the story of the Ten-Tails and the Sage of the Six Paths, then declared the Fourth Shinobi World War, Akatsuchi returned to Iwagakure with the Tsuchikage and Kurotsuchi, where they were informed that the Earth Daimyō has approved of the Allied Shinobi Forces. He later assumes that the daimyō made a quick decision due to being informed of Madara and the loss of Tailed Beasts. When Ōnoki states that the war will result in a failure due to the ignorance of the youth, Akatsuchi recounts the strong words Gaara had directed towards him.

Adventures at Sea Arc
Main article: Adventures at Sea Arc
Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi were sent by the Tsuchikage in a diplomatic mission to improve Kirigakure's relationship with Iwagakure, along with Chōjūrō, who was also sent by the Mizukage on the same mission to stop Ganryū in the process.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc

Akatsuchi stops Ōnoki from disintegrating the Island Turtle.
When news got to headquarters that Kisame Hoshigaki had managed to divulge the location where Naruto Uzumaki and Killer B were hiding, Ōnoki took Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi with him to improve the defences. Once they reached the sea, Ōnoki noted that they would have to fly the rest of the way which pleased Akatsuchi greatly. On their way, they encountered Kabuto Yakushi and the reincarnated Deidara. Akatsuchi as well as Kurotsuchi expressed joy thinking that he had in fact survived his fight against Sasuke before being reminded by the Tsuchikage that the Deidara in front of them was no more than a reincarnation.[5]


Akatsuchi protects himself and Ōnoki against Deidara's assault.
As the battle got under way and the Tsuchikage attempted to use a Dust Release technique, Akatsuchi stopped him, in fear for the Island Turtle's safety which the Tsuchikage had mistaken for part of the landscape. Using this opportunity Deidara sends an explosive clay bird flying their way and detonates it. Akatsuchi however uses his golem to defend against the attack — saving them. As Ōnoki and Deidara took the battle higher in the sky, they flew so fast that Akatsuchi had trouble keeping up.

Shinobi World War Arc
While the rest of the Alliances' forces moved out, Akatsuchi remains behind by the Tsuchikage's side. After Ōnoki's departure to meet Gaara on the battlefield, Akatsuchi joined the Alliance on the battlefield where he fought alongside his comrades.

Ten-Tails Revival Arc
When Ōnoki later re-entered the battlefield, Akatsuchi responded to the Tsuchikage's rallying of the troops with a fearsome war cry.

Akamaru

Akamaru (赤丸, Akamaru) is a nin-dog (忍犬, ninken) from Konohagakure's Inuzuka clan. He is Kiba Inuzuka's partner, as well as his best friend and companion. He is also a member of Team Kurenai.

Background
At some point, while Kiba was still in the Academy, his mother, Tsume Inuzuka, entrusted him with Akamaru. Although Akamaru almost immediately urinated on Kiba's face, much to his mother and sister's amusement,[4] the two became close regardless.

Personality
Akamaru has been described as active and devoted.[5] This can be seen from his interactions with people especially his best friend and companion Kiba whom he has always been with since the two met. They often spend their time going on walks, or more accurately, running through trees chasing one another. His devotion is most often seen when Kiba is hurt in battle, Akamaru will immediately run to his side.

Appearance

Akamaru's red fur.
In Part I Akamaru was a small puppy with white fur, and resembles a Great Pyrenees, regularly carried on Kiba's head or inside his jacket. Akamaru's eyes are usually squinted, appearing closed, and he has a dark brown nose, as well as dark brown patches on his ears and a dark outline around his mouth. His fur on top of his head is styled to somewhat resemble a mohawk. Whenever Akamaru ingests soldier pills his fur turns red and he becomes more feral, which is why he was named Akamaru (赤丸) "Aka" meaning "red", and "maru" being a common ending for male names in Japan.

In Part II, Akamaru has grown into a full-sized adult large-breed dog. His size is such that Akamaru can now have Kiba ride on his back comfortably. Despite this, Kiba claimed he failed to notice due to the amount of time they spend together. Apart from his size, his general appearance has remained the same.[6]

Abilities

Akamaru using Dynamic Marking.
Akamaru's heightened senses, such as smell and hearing, along with Kiba's ability to communicate with him, makes him a powerful ally for gathering and sharing information. He can 'sense' chakra with his nose, which allows him to judge an enemy's strength. In combat, Akamaru often takes Kiba's form (albeit having a much more feral appearance) using the Beast Human Clone technique, or combining with Kiba into a single entity for more devastating attacks. Akamaru also makes use of the Dynamic Marking technique- urinating on a target with great accuracy, allowing either Kiba or himself to easily track the target by scent. This is especially useful when they are fused together.


Akamaru transformed into Kiba.
He has also been shown to be adept at setting traps such as explosive tags on his own.[7] Akamaru is also proficient in using other of his clan's technique such as the Passing Fang and Fang Passing Fang where either he alone, or with Kiba spin at ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target.

Akamaru has not been known to talk like some other ninken, but did speak briefly at the end of a special new years episode in the anime.[8]

Part I
Chūnin Exam Arc
Akamaru helped Kiba cheat in the first test, sitting on his head to keep an eye out for proctors and to get information from other exam takers. On their way to the tower during the second test, Kiba had the group stop to investigate Gaara's encounter with Team Shigure. Akamaru was immediately frightened by sensing the strength of Gaara's chakra, and was traumatised by seeing Gaara brutally kill all three Ame genin.


Kiba and Akamaru vs Naruto.
Akamaru fought alongside Kiba against Naruto Uzumaki in the exam preliminaries. He was considered a ninja tool rather than an additional combatant, and was thus permitted to fight alongside Kiba. While Akamaru gave Naruto some difficulty, especially after he transformed into a clone of Kiba, Naruto was able to use Akamaru to trick Kiba, first transforming into Akamaru and coming out of the smoke bomb to ambush him. After Kiba used the Beast Human Clone technique, Naruto turned into Kiba to prevent Kiba from attacking him, and when Kiba saw through his plan, Naruto transformed into Akamaru to make him think that he had hit Akamaru. Kiba then punched Akamaru, believing him to be Naruto.

In the finals, Akamaru was knocked out along with Kiba after Kabuto Yakushi, disguised as an ANBU member, healed Hinata Hyūga. In the anime, Akamaru attempted to warn Kiba about Kabuto, having recognised who Kabuto was. However, Kabuto used his medical ninjutsu and knocked Kiba out. What happened to Akamaru was left unknown, as Kabuto didn't come near him but he still passed out.

Invasion of Konoha Arc
Akamaru can be seen with Kiba and the other villagers at the Third Hokage's funeral.

Sasuke Retrieval Arc

Akamaru and Kiba transform.
Over time, Kiba and Akamaru developed Dynamic Marking and Human Beast Combination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf together. In the mission to retrieve Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru remained with the group until they retrieved the container, but an explosive tag blew them and Sakon and Ukon into a canyon. Kiba and Akamaru initially struggled against the brothers, and Akamaru realised that they must use Double Wolf Fang. Kiba was hesitant, given the large amount of chakra needed, which would render them vulnerable if they missed. Akamaru bit him on the hand, and Kiba, realising that Akamaru saw him as pathetic, decided to take the risk. The attack severely wounded Sakon and Ukon, but they blocked the last attack with a Rashōmon barrier, and Akamaru was injured protecting Kiba from their counter-attack, but managed to urinate in Sakon's eyes at the same time. When Ukon began taking over Kiba's body, he stabbed himself in the stomach in an attempt to kill Sakon to prevent himself from being taken over and harming Akamaru. Kiba attempted to escape with Akamaru, and, after Sakon and Ukon caught up with them, Kankurō arrived and killed both of them.

Kiba and Akamaru's injuries took some time to heal. Kiba, not wanting Akamaru to suffer that much again, vowed to improve himself.

Pre-Shippūden Filler Arcs

Akamaru infected with a toxin.
Akamaru accompanied Kiba on his missions with Naruto in the fillers. In the Impostor Arc, his presence was used as Kiba's proof of being the real Kiba, as, while his impostor could imitate his face, he could not replace Akamaru.

In Naruto episode 184, Akamaru was infected with a toxin that caused him to go berserk. When he attacked some Anbu members who were training, the order was given to have him taken into custody. As Hana attempted to make a cure for Akamaru, Kiba smuggled his dog out of the village and escaped, having heard that Akamaru might need to be put to sleep, but Akamaru continued to lose control of himself. By the time Naruto and Hana caught up with Kiba, Akamaru had turned into a giant version of himself, and attacked anyone near him. Kiba hesitated in the face of the possibility that Akamaru might die, but, after Naruto and Hana's attempt to pin Akamaru down and administer the antidote failed, Kiba apologised to Akamaru while standing still as Akamaru leapt at him. Kiba was severely injured, but managed to inject Akamaru with the antidote, and noted that Akamaru had tried his best to avoid killing him.

Part II
Sasuke and Sai Arc

Akamaru and Kiba in Part II.
When Naruto met Kiba while looking for team-mates, he noticed that Akamaru was much larger, especially given that Kiba was now riding on him rather than having him sit on his head. Naruto asked Kiba to join his team for a mission, and even proposed having Akamaru go with him without Kiba, but Kiba refused the suggestion.

Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc
When Team Yamato returned from the Fire Temple with a young monk named Sora, Sora quickly made it known that he didn't care what any living thing thought of him. He quickly got into a staring contest with Akamaru, to which Kiba became annoyed at. When Furido and his men attacked the Leaf Village, Akamaru demonstrated that his new size also helped considerably in battle, as he was able to take down several zombies without transforming.

Three-Tails Arc
When Kakashi was ordered to investigate the latest whereabouts of Orochimaru, Team Kurenai was assigned to work with him due to their tracking skills. When they managed to find Orochimaru's hideout, they triggered a trap that destroyed the base. Fortunately, Akamaru's nose was able to find a way out in time. Later, Akamaru began to have trouble concentrating due to a high-frequency sound. It was through this that the team realised that they were being spied on by bats. When the enemy ambushed them and rendered their sense of smell helpless with a smokescreen, Akamaru convinced Kiba to try their beast-like taijutsu to blow away the smoke.

Soon, the team found themselves being attacked by Guren. There, Kiba and Akamaru again worked together to fight off her attacks. After sensing their enemy's new overwhelming might, Akamaru saved Kiba by digging into the ground and hiding them in a pit.

Itachi Pursuit Arc

Team 7 and 8 set out to pursue Itachi.
After it was decided that the best way to find Sasuke was to find Itachi Uchiha, Akamaru and Kiba later assisted Naruto in searching for either of the Uchiha brothers, but they were unable to reach Sasuke in time and returned home.

Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc
Main article: Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu Arc
Invasion of Pain Arc
When Pain invaded Konoha, Kiba and Akamaru joined Kiba's mother and Kuromaru in fighting the Preta Path. Later, during the aftermath of the struggle, he appeared with Kiba riding him to warn Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi that Danzō had been appointed as the Sixth Hokage and had just given the order permitting ninjas to dispose of Sasuke as a missing-nin.

Konoha History Arc
After Kiba had signed up to be the village’s messenger, he and Akamaru are seen delivering packages and messages to the villagers.

Five Kage Summit Arc

Akamaru and Kiba accompany Sakura to the Land of Iron.
When Konoha 11 has decided to eliminate Sasuke for his crimes and to prevent him from sinking any lower, Sakura decided to tell Naruto herself, with Akamaru, Kiba, Sai, and Lee accompanying her. They headed for the Land of Iron, but Sakura denied the truth from Naruto, and the group left to find Sasuke. Sakura managed to use a powerful sleeping gas bomb to knock out the others, including Akamaru. Kakashi later finds them sleeping in the middle of the path, and moved them to the side before leaving for the bridge where Sasuke and Sakura are. Akamaru wakes up from being smoke bombed by Sakura and returns to Konoha.

He later accompanies Kiba as the Konoha 11 speak about what they would do about the looming threat that Sasuke Uchiha posed to the safety of the villages and the relative peace that they had.

Chikara Arc
Main article: Chikara Arc
Adventures at Sea Arc
Main article: Adventures at Sea Arc
Shinobi World War Arc

Kiba and Akamaru during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Along with his partner, Kiba, Akamaru was assigned to the Fifth Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Shinobi World War. He and a team of shinobi are later sent to back up the Second Division. Akamaru and Kiba attacked the White Zetsu Army clones with their Fang Passing Fang technique ripping the enemy to shreds. The two later regrouped with Neji, Hinata and Shino after the attacking White Zetsu Army clones are wiped out — seemingly exhausted. Akamaru then stood by as Kiba tried to get an exhausted Neji to go to the medical compound for treatment. As Kiba lectured Neji about overusing his Byakugan, Neji responded to Akamaru instead of Kiba, confirming just how strained his eyesight was. Finally backing down from the front that he was all right, Akamaru later carried Neji on his back as the trio relocated.


Kiba and Akamaru confront the reincarnated Sakon and Ukon.
The next day, Akamaru alongside Kiba battled the transformed White Zetsu Army clones that had infiltrated their ranks. In the anime, the battle turns more personal when the Sound Four ninja are also summoned to the battlefield. Kiba and Akamaru face off again against Sakon and Ukon. With there improved skills, Kiba and Akamaru are able to completely plough through Sakon and Ukon defences and defeat them. However, their victory is short-lived, as the ninja twins engulf the four of them in a strange technique. Akamaru's body was left in a comatose state while his soul was sent to a new location where it was reanimate within a large barrier. Inside, the inhabitants are able to battle normal. However, the Sound Four inform their enemies that in time, their actual bodies' halted chakra flow will eventually cause them to die. In addition, killing the Sound Four will not undo the technique. Despite the initial stalemate, the Sound Four's enhanced Cursed Seals grow even stronger from their accumulated malice, quickly overwhelming the Konoha ninja. Seeing that, Shikamaru begins to intentionally provoke them, knowing that Naruto's new senses would pick up on it. Eventually, Naruto finds them and breaks through the barrier, allowing Inoichi, through a telepathic connection, to release the technique and restore Akamaru and the others to their bodies. Upon awakening, Akamaru thanks Shino for his efforts in save them.

Later, amidst the battles, Kiba warned Neji that Hinata was in trouble. Neji failed to save "Hinata" from an Iwa-nin, only for "Hinata" to be revealed as a White Zetsu Army clone. As Akamaru and Kiba continued toward the real Hinata, Kiba chastised Neji for going the wrong way, but before they could reach Hinata, she was saved by Naruto's shadow clone which had arrived on the battlefield. After a brief argument between Kiba, Naruto and Neji, they mobilised with Naruto to sift out the fake shinobi from the real ones.

Ten-Tails Revival Arc

Akamaru, along with remainder of the Allied Shinobi Force, arrive at the battlefield.
Later heading out with the other members of the Allied Shinobi Forces to where the jinchūriki were, Akamaru and Kiba arrive on the battlefield and stood with the others to face their opposition. When the Alliance's counter-attack was launched, Akamaru and Kiba were buffeted by the fully matured Ten-Tails as it emerged from the hole it had been trapped in.

Later when Kurama had generated enough chakra, Naruto transferred some of it to Akamaru who afterwards, alongside Kiba, charged towards the Uchiha and the Ten-Tails where their combined efforts were able to separate the two Uchiha from the beast. When the Alliance was saved from the Ten-Tails' enormous Tailed Beast Ball, Akamaru's behaviour alerted them to the fact that Minato was a reincarnated shinobi. Though Minato waved down their suspicion telling them that he was on their side, Akamaru was later shocked to see Sasuke on the battlefield and even more so when he declared that he would become Hokage. When Kiba later made a comment to Shikamaru's resolve to become an adviser to the Hokage, Akamaru voiced some concern. Shino, however, told Akamaru it was all right as the Hokage could have up to three advisers.

Return of Madara Arc
After Madara was revived, Akamaru and Kiba assisted the Alliance in battling Guruguru. He would later alert Kiba to the dōjutsu reflected on the moon. Akamaru as well as the others would later fall victim to Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Ai (Raikage 4)

A (エー, Ē; Viz "Ei", English TV "Ay") is the Fourth Raikage (四代目雷影, Yondaime Raikage; Literally meaning "Fourth Lightning Shadow")[1] of Kumogakure.

A in his younger years alongside his brother.
A is the son of the Third Raikage. At some point in the past, a group of young children were gathered in order to determine who would be A's tag-partner in keeping with a long-standing Kumogakure tradition of the Raikage having a tag-team partner. Only one child was able to successfully match A's power and use the Double Lariat on a training dummy.

As a result, that child was given the name "B", and A stated that they would be brothers from that day on.[2] He and B would eventually be teamed together on a mission with A's cousin, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. While on the mission, he told A that Killer B would need something to fill the void that would be created if he was chosen as the beast's next jinchūriki.

Some time later A's cousin lost control of the beast and it went on a rampage. A was made part of a special team tasked with subduing the rampaging Eight-Tails. When the beast impaled Motoi's father with its horn, A cut it off. After B became the beast's jinchūriki, A, remembering what his cousin had said to him, tried his best to fill that apparent void.


A attacks Minato.
Some time during the Third Shinobi World War, A would clash with Minato Namikaze for the first time. Before Minato retreated he recognised Killer B as the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails and told A that next time they met it would be to put the title of "Kage" on the line and also offered A the advice of making sure his brother knew who he was before becoming neither human nor jinchūriki. They would clash many more times after that. A was once even told by Jiraiya that he believed Minato was the "Child of Prophecy".[3] When A's father died, he inherited the title of Raikage. Afterwards, out of fear of losing him, he forbade B's continued training in the Lariat and ordered him to complete his training in the Tailed Beast Ball at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and restricted him to the confines of the village. At some point, he forbade B from fully transforming into his tailed beast due to its extreme power.

In the anime, after an encounter with the Nokizaru Group, A crossed paths with Tsunade and requested her aid in removing the Exploding Insect implanted in his subordinate. After accepting her arm wrestling challenge, realising that he could not beat Tsunade in terms of strength, but at the same time, he needed to help his subordinate, A used speed to defeat her. After Tsunade diagnoses the situation and realises that one of the insects was also inside A, she decided to conduct the surgery. However, when she had Shizune conduct the surgery and later left after blood splattered on her. Shizune explained Tsunade's haemophobia caused by the loss of her two great loves, A dismissed her state of mind as a weakness would not trust his mens' lives to her with Shizune who had successfully completed the surgery, defending her mistress.[4]

Personality

A and B become brothers.
A is very caring and protective towards his adopted younger brother, despite Killer B's status as a jinchūriki, and wept at the news of his younger brother's capture by Akatsuki. However, when Killer B's ploy to use the affair to have a vacation was discovered, A was comically furious (but not surprised), and swore to punish his little brother for it. He claims, that as the Raikage, he has made peace with the idea of having to kill his brother if the situation ever called for it.[5] He also cared deeply for, and respected his father as seen when he was brought to tears at his father's funeral and, upon assuming the mantle of Raikage, swore to protect the village as he did.


A punishing B with his "Iron Claw".
He is headstrong and somewhat easily aggravated, smashing a desk apart when news of his brother being captured arrived. He also seemingly has very little patience as seen when he burst through the window of his office to attend the Kage Summit, smashed the table at the Summit when the conversation was deviating and smashing through a wall to go after Sasuke. His assistant implied that he is prone to such actions whenever he was in that mental state. A also has a method of punishing his little brother with what he calls his "Iron Claw".

A also has a very stern, dead-serious and decisive demeanour, as seen when he was seemingly unaffected by Naruto's pleas for Sasuke's life. In his eyes, respect and strength mean everything in the ninja world, and the weak should and will be crushed. This correlates with his philosophy that a ninja should never compromise or bow down in front of another ninja. A has also been shown to be very suspicious of the other ninja villages, accusing all of them of working with Akatsuki and questioning their loyalties. In battle, A is shown to be physically brutal, as he uses extreme physical force to devastate his opponents, and is willing to sacrifice a limb, rather than lose a chance to defeat his opponent. In spite of all this, A seems to be capable of acknowledging and respecting the skills of other shinobi and is not above accepting defeat should they best him in any way, as seen when he finally allowed B and Naruto to enter the battlefield after they surpassed him, in strength and speed, respectively. And before this, A even once thought that there was no one who could surpass the Fourth Hokage. A is also shown to genuinely care about the well-being of his comrades, including those of foreign villages, as he reprimanded Tsunade for fighting so recklessly and left himself vulnerable to express care for her when she began coughing up blood.

When he learned his brother was alive, his attitude had mostly calmed down since his first appearance. He spoke with civility with the other members of the Alliance, and kept his cool during Tsunade's outburst. However, after learning that Akatsuki reincarnated his father, A became enraged again.[6] Like his brother, the Raikage is a compassionate person as well, as he reassured Darui about his left arm that he lost and told him not to blame himself.[7]

A also holds strongly to the belief that the jinchūriki is not an individual, but instead is a tool of the village they live in and its Kage and as such, have no right to make decisions for themselves, an attitude that put him in direct conflict with Tsunade.[8]

Appearance
He is a tall dark-skinned man with a large muscular build, with his white hair (blond in the anime) combed back, a small moustache and beard. His face is very distinguished with pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs under his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead. He has pointed canines and his top lip also has a darker hue than the bottom one; traits he inherited from his father. During his fight with Sasuke Uchiha, he amputated his left forearm after it was burned by the flames of Amaterasu.


A wearing his Raikage uniform.
Unlike other Kage, A seems to wear his Kage haori and hat on a regular basis without a shirt underneath, further displaying his hulking physique. He has black Fūma Shuriken tattoos on both shoulders. Up until his fight with Sasuke, he had gold bangle bracelets on each wrist which have protrusions that can jut out when he attacks. Though he still wore the bracelet on his right arm after amputating the left arm at the Summit and even when he convened the second meeting of the Kage, since the Fourth Shinobi World War started however, he has stopped wearing it altogether.[9] He also wears a gold belt around his waist with a boar's face engraved in the centre. All of these aspects combined give him the appearance of a professional wrestler and boxer.

When he was younger, A wore a purple high-collared outfit with ragged sleeve and matching pants along with a white flak jacket and shin guards.

Abilities
As the Raikage, A is undoubtedly an extremely powerful shinobi. His younger brother Killer B also mentioned in his fight with Sasuke that, before him, only A was able to deflect the Eight-Tails.[10] A's signature fighting style is a combination of taijutsu and ninjutsu to form the powerful nintaijutsu, which circumvented time-consuming hand seals. It is for this very reason that losing his left arm did very little to impede his fighting abilities. Despite the loss of his arm, A was still chosen to be Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, further implying the levels of his might.

Physical Prowess

A destroys his desk while holding a barbell in a single hand.
A possesses a massive amount of physical strength, just below that of Tsunade's according to Madara Uchiha.[11] When introduced, he was shown lifting a barbell which is usually used with two hands, with a single hand and in a casual manner. He was also able to crush a cliff with a single punch.[12] Later, he was also able to snap the Kubikiribōchō in two (although it had been previously damaged) and snap a couple of the ribs of Sasuke Uchiha's Susanoo, once with a backhanded chop and once with a powerbomb[13] respectively. In his youth, A was even able to cut through one of the four horns of Eight-Tails and knock it to the ground by the sheer strength of his blow.[14] While blocking his punch in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto Uzumaki noted that the Raikage's attacks were extremely heavy and if he were ever to take a direct hit from him, the confrontation would be all over.[15] A was also able to inflict substantial damage to Madara's left arm when the latter blocked his punch.[16]


A breaking Sasuke Susanoo's Amaterasu-clad bones.
Befitting his appearance the Raikage seems to prefer taijutsu combat, forgoing any hand seals-based ninjutsu. He has shown tremendous prowess in this field: when Naruto and Killer B tried escaping him, A stalled Naruto and B for a considerable amount of time, even turning B's use of the Eight-Tails' tentacles against him. While possessing powerful and extremely fast punches, A prefers to use wrestling-style moves, than those of standard taijutsu, such as throws, take-downs, leg drops, high-flying strikes and in the anime, dropkicks.


A attacking Jūgo.
Despite his large physique, the Raikage is noted for being incredibly fast, grabbing Zetsu by the throat before he had a chance to react and evading a point-blank Amaterasu flame.[17] A has claimed that since the Fourth Hokage passed away, there is no shinobi that is faster than him in the world, until Naruto Uzumaki surpassed him in speed with his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and became the second person to ever dodge his top-speed attack.[18][19]


A preparing to use his Liger Bomb technique.
A has shown to have inherited his father's immense durability, able to take three Lariats to the chest from B without getting damaged.[20] He also survived being transported by Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Technique unharmed.[21] A also has an immense tolerance for pain, as he was able to withstand having his arm set on fire by Amaterasu and was even able to cut it off himself, all without flinching.[22] A has been noted for an extremely high amount of stamina and strong chakra compared to other shinobi, with Karin noting that his chakra level is comparable to that of a tailed beast.[23] By unleashing a full burst, he can repel everything around him and demolish the ground under him.

Ninjutsu
Nature Transformation

A in his Lightning Release Armour.
On top of his physical capabilities, A is also skilled in lightning-based techniques, able to focus lightning chakra into a point sharp enough to neatly cut through the horn of the Eight-Tails.[14] or with in unison with another's Water Release and strong enough to paralyse enemies like Madara Uchiha.[24] His signature technique is releasing a continuous surge of electricity from his body to form the Lightning Release Armour, augmenting his already formidable natural physical strength and speed. Because of this, he is considered a master of nintaijutsu. His speed reaches a point where A claims not even the Sharingan should be able to keep up with his movements. This is due to electricity stimulating his nervous system and speeding up his neural synapses, amplifying his reflexes and reaction time, reaching comparable levels to Minato Namikaze, as noted by C.[25] While using this ability in combination with the Body Flicker Technique, he is able to dodge Jūgo's multiple chakra blasts and Amaterasu at point-blank range. The electric armour can also work as a powerful defence, receive only a minor wound on his chest from a direct Chidori strike. By momentarily increasing the electrical surge, A was able to deflect a strike from Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi: Chidori Katana from behind[26]

Part II
Invasion of Pain Arc
He was first seen when he received news of Killer B's capture by Akatsuki. Enraged that his own brother had been lost so soon after Yugito Nii, A called for a meeting of the five Kage to discuss Akatsuki. Because B's captor was Sasuke Uchiha, a former Konoha ninja, A had Team Samui take a letter to the Hokage to inform Konoha that he would personally deal with Sasuke.

Five Kage Summit Arc

The Raikage and his two bodyguards depart.
A departed for the Kage summit with two bodyguards: Darui and C. On their way to the Land of Iron they reunited with Team Samui, who provided them with information on Sasuke acquired in Konoha. C quickly discovered that Team Samui had been followed by Naruto Uzumaki. A kept his men from attacking Naruto and agreed to listen to what he had to say. Naruto pleaded with the Raikage to spare Sasuke, but his request was flatly refused and the Raikage berated him for sticking up for a criminal.

When the Kage Summit began, A quickly showed his disapproval of the other villages by smashing the table in front of him, prompting all of the bodyguards to come to their Kage's aid. After they returned to their position, A voiced his suspicions of the other Kage: that Sunagakure used Akatsuki in order to destroy Konoha; that the Third Tsuchikage employed Akatsuki in the past; that the Fifth Mizukage and the rest of her village is the least trustworthy due to suspected ties with Akatsuki. He pointed out that only Kumogakure has never had an Akatsuki representative, nor has it ever employed Akatsuki for a battle. He insinuated that Danzō Shimura used Akatsuki to dispose of the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage.

When the idea of a Shinobi Alliance was raised, Danzō was nominated to lead it. A was outraged, but before he could raise much of an objection Zetsu appeared and revealed that Sasuke was nearby. A immediately grabbed Zetsu by the neck and demanded information on Sasuke's location, and later broke his neck when he took too long to respond. He then left with C and Darui to track Sasuke down. Upon finding them, A tried to attack Sasuke but he was instead drawn into battle with Sasuke's team. He first snapped Suigetsu's damaged sword and then engaged a transformed Jūgo, A overpowering him after a brief fight. With his team out of the way, A was able to attack Sasuke uninhibited.


Sasuke and A clashing.
Sasuke had difficulty breaking through A's Lightning Release Armour, with his Chidori only managing to cause a minor wound to A. A went on the offensive with his Liger Bomb, but he too had difficulty damaging Sasuke due to the latter's Susanoo. Sasuke tried to hit him with Amaterasu, but A was too fast. Sasuke then coated his Susanoo with Amaterasu's flames to deter additional physical attacks. In his growing rage, A ignored this and attacked through the flames to smash through the defence and hit Sasuke. Although his arm was caught ablaze he continued the assault, only to be stopped by the Fifth Kazekage. The Kazekage asked for a chance to speak with Sasuke. Although irritated, A used this as an opportunity to deal with his arm; he cut it off to prevent Amaterasu from spreading to the rest of his body and then had C stop his bleeding.

While A was being healed, Sasuke caused a cave-in to cover his escape. A smashed the falling debris and joined the Kazekage in pursuing him back to the Summit hall. When they arrived, they were met by Tobi, who sent Sasuke to safety before telling them about his Eye of the Moon Plan, in the process revealing that B eluded capture. Tobi then requested that B, along with Naruto be handed over to him. A and the other Kage refused, prompting Tobi to declare the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. A Shinobi Alliance was suggested again, this time with A as the proposed leader of the alliance. The Kage agreed to this before returning to their respective villages to prepare for war.


A and Killer B finish off "Kisame".
Before going back to Kumo, A and his men tracked down B. They found him in the middle of a fight with Kisame Hoshigaki. A and B teamed up to decapitate "Kisame" with a Double Lariat. Later, A angrily scolded B for pretending to be captured on their way back to the village. They were informed that the daimyō had agreed to the Shinobi Alliance's formation when they returned. A then convened a war council to assess the village's military-readiness.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc

The heads of the Alliance meet.
Three days later, the other Alliance heads met with A in Kumogakure to discuss the Alliance's organisation. As their first matter of business they discussed what to do with the jinchūriki. The recently-reinstated Fifth Hokage, believed that Killer B and Naruto Uzumaki should be allowed to fight on the front lines, whereas A and the other leaders believed they should be sent into hiding, to prevent the enemy from capturing them.

The Hokage eventually agreed with their decision, albeit reluctantly. A selected the Island Turtle as the hiding place and assures them of its security. When Akatsuki later discovered this location, A refused to have B and Naruto moved. He instead sent the Tsuchikage as extra protection and had him bring the island back to Kumo. In the anime after the meeting with the other heads of the Alliance the Hokage asked to speak with A privately and requested that B teach Naruto to achieve the control over the Nine-Tails.

Shinobi World War Arc

The Kage prepare for war.
A remained at headquarters with the Hokage and the Tsuchikage while the Alliance's armies mobilised. Shikaku Nara provided a great deal of input on how to organise the army and engage Akatsuki's White Zetsu Army, forcing A to acknowledge the calibre of Konoha's ninja. Despite being the leader of the Alliance, A was uncomfortable not being on the front lines; when news reached headquarters of his father's reincarnation, A wished to go and confront him, but opted to send the Tsuchikage instead after learning that Mū was also amongst the reincarnated.

He had a similar response when the First Division engaged the Gold and Silver Brothers. A explained to the people at headquarters about the brothers and made preparations to deal with them should they begin using their Nine-Tails chakra. He had Mabui send the Kohaku no Jōhei to Darui and called in reinforcements from other divisions to help out the First Division. His plans paid off and the brothers were sealed.


A and Tsunade confronting B and Naruto.
Upon learning that B and Naruto had escaped from confinement, A and Tsunade decided to personally stop them, leaving Shikaku in charge while they were gone. Upon intercepting them, A tried to impress upon them the importance of keeping them out of Akatsuki's grasp. Naruto tried to flee using his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but A was able to keep up with him and block his escape. Feeling that he wouldn't be able to sway Naruto, A tried to kill him to prevent his capture. B blocked his attack and informs his brother that he would have to be willing to kill both of them. A claimed to have no problem with this, but B unbelieving, bumped fists with him to remind him of all they had been through together. When A still wouldn't listen to words, B attacked and defeated him with a Lariat, proving his strength. Despite his defeat, A still refused the pleas of B and Tsunade, prompting Tsunade to decide to battle A as well.


A uses his max speed to test Naruto.
B however tried once more to reason with his brother, telling him that the tailed beasts weren't the only thing that made them strong but also the people who cared about them, referring to them as "suns". B told A that Naruto had two of them. A then asked him about it and Naruto told him about his parents, and that despite them dying shortly after he was born, they made him strong. After hearing this, A fully charged his lightning armour and attacked, however, Naruto was able to completely evade the attack. With this as proof of Naruto's power, A allowed Naruto to enter the battlefield stating that the "saviour" might still be alive in the form of him. After returning to headquarters, he was briefed about the White Zetsu Army. As Tsunade diagnosed the situation, A asked her if there were any hints on how to defeat Tobi to which she declared that he might just be the true definition of an immortal.


A and Tsunade attacks Mū and Madara as soon as they arrived on the battlefield.
When news from Inoichi of Naruto's arrival to each battlefield gave the Allied Forces a huge upper hand, Tsunade teased A, who stubbornly smiled in response. After hearing that the real Madara Uchiha had been summoned to the battlefield, he and the others at headquarters tried to decipher who the masked man really was. However, after hearing Inoichi's report of the onslaught that was taking place on the battlefield, and Tsunade's intention to have Mabui teleport her there, he told Mabui to prepare her Heavenly Transfer Technique for two people instead of for just Tsunade. Despite Mabui's initial protest, since the technique could potentially kill humans it was used on, they were transported to the battlefield where A immediately attacked Mū with a powerful punch sending him flying into nearby rocks.


The five Kage confront Madara.
After asking if Tsunade was all-right, as well as remarking that he was finally able to cut loose, an opportunity he said he had waited days for, he stood together with the other Kage to face Madara. Covering Tsunade while she healed Gaara and Ōnoki, A and Mei faced Madara head-on. Punching Madara into Mei's lava after he evaded it, A crashed into Madara's Susanoo using his Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop technique. This failed to have any effect, and A realised that he would have to up the speed of his attacks in order to break through Susanoo's defence. As Madara retaliated with his Yasaka Magatama technique, they were protected by a combination of Gaara's sand and Ōnoki's giant Rock Golem. Combining their skills, Ōnoki first made A lighter so as to increase his speed and then as he attacked Madara increased the weight behind his attack, breaking through Susanoo and punching Madara. Before Naruto's clone disperses A and the other Kage left him with one final message: "win".


A, Ōnoki and Tsunade attack Madara.
As the battle between the Kage and Madara waged on, A stood atop Ōnoki's golem which beared down on Madara. The golem was however destroyed by Madara and A took to the skies with Ōnoki to avoid the pollen being released by Madara's attack. The Kage were however ambushed by a twofold attack from Madara, fell prey to the pollen, and were knocked unconscious. After Ōnoki destroyed the forest and part of Madara however, A and the others regained consciousness in time to see the face formed from the DNA of the First Hokage jutting out from a regenerating Madara's chest. As Madara regenerated, A, who was noticeably irritated, told Madara to stop ranting while making himself sound important after listening to him berate Tsunade and her lineage and then praise it all in the same breath. With Ōnoki still allowing A greater manoeuvrability, A assisted Tsunade in a two fold attack on Madara which sent the latter plummeting into the ground. A then calls out to Gaara who seemingly bound and sealed Madara. A later watched in shock as Tsunade was impaled by a Susanoo Sword and Madara revealed that they had sealed a wood clone.

A was later shocked even further to see Tsunade launch a surprise attack on an unsuspecting Madara and then spured the Tsuchikage on as Ōnoki launched a surprise attack of his own. As Madara later sent his wood clones to confront each of the Kage, A looked on in shock as Madara asked them whether or not they'd prefer his clones use Susanoo.


The five Kage stand against Madara's Susanoo army.
Fending off an attack from one of the Susanoo-clad clones, A reprimands the Hokage for her reckless fighting, A loses concentration long enough for the clone to grab him and put him under genjutsu much to A's dismay. Saved by the quick-thinking of the Tsuchikage and freed from the genjutsu, A is spurred on to fight more still as the other Kage rally to each other's side. Waiting for the opportune moment to strike the real Madara after Ōnoki annihilates the clones, A infuses Mei's Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique with lightning to create a numbing effect on Madara, slowing his responsiveness. Before their assault is able to completely seal Madara, however, their opponent manifests his complete Susanoo. As Madara's Susanoo stabilises, A along with the other Kage stare in shock at the giant construct before being knocked down by a single swing from its sword. Despite this, the Kage stand and face Madara once again.

As the Mizukage remarked that situation looked grim for the Kage, A unceremoniously told her to shut up as he wasn't going to give up just yet. As Madara's attack failed to land due to his Susanoo de-materialising, A watched on as Madara is enveloped in a light of sorts. Shocked to hear that the Impure World Reincarnation technique had been released, A and the other Kage discuss how such a feat was possible in the short time that they had begun searching for Kabuto and the Tsuchikage noted that regardless of who undid the technique, they were a hero to the shinobi world. The Kage are then attacked by Madara in a desperate final attempt. With Mei unable to counter in time, Tsunade moving to counter Madara's Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique with her bare fist. After she fell unconscious, A and the other Kage rush to her aid when Madara tried to impale her with his Susanoo's sword but was surprised to see Tsunade dodge the attack. With Tsunade all-right, A questions why Madara didn't disappear since the technique had been cancelled. Madara then revealed that he had broken the contract between himself and his summoner and as such was acting on his own with an immortal body.

Ten-Tails Revival Arc

A and the other Kage revived.
Despite their attempt to stop Madara from leaving their battlefield, A and the other Kage were ultimately defeated and left severely wounded. Later, upon the arrival of Karin, Suigetsu and Orochimaru at the battlefield, Tsunade was healed by Karin. After being healed considerably, she in turn helped in healing A and the other Kage. With no time to lose, they all made their way to the battlefield atop Gaara's sand. While closing in on the battlefield, they first see the Shinju and are informed by Katsuyu about the most recent developments before being contacted telepathically by Hashirama Senju who informed every one on the battlefield about what he had learned about the tree from his battle with Madara. As Naruto's anger at the loss of the comrades he had fought so hard to protect grew, his emotions and memories were conveyed to everyone via Ino Yamanaka's technique.


The five Kage arrive on the battlefield.
A would later view Hashirama's memories of the first Summit of the five Kage before arriving on the battlefield as Hashirama declared his wishes for the future of the world. Responding to Hashirama's mention of dreams, A noted that in their generation, the mention of preserving dreams was a moot point. He later relocated to where B was where he contemplated that despite what he thought of it, those who would become Hokage had a proclivity for lowering their heads to others mulling over whether this in itself was a sign of power. In rallying the troops around him and his brother, A exclaimed that they better get ready to wreak havoc.

Return of Madara Arc
Though the Alliance is able to defeat Obito through the collaborative efforts, the battle takes a turn for the worst when Madara is revived via the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. The battlefield is soon assaulted by Guruguru and a miniature version of the Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands technique. Cloaked in his Lightning Release Armour, A was one of the few shinobi still able to fight.

As the battle waged on, A and th Alliance started to feel tremors which were revealed to be more meteorites hitting the ground. He and the others would later fall prey to the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

KOMPETISI JULANG EMAS (Aceros undulatus) TERHADAP PEROLEHAN PAKAN BUAH DENGAN SPESIES KOMPETITOR DI GUNUNG UNGARAN JAWA TENGAH

KEMENTERIAN PENDIDIKAN NASIONAL

FAKULTAS MATEMATIKA DAN ILMU PENGETAHUAN ALAM

UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SEMARANG

 

Proposal Skripsi

Diajukan oleh

Nama      : Mukhamad Angga Saputro

NIM       : 4411410004

Jurusan   : Biologi         

Prodi       : Biologi, S1

I.                   JUDUL

KOMPETISI JULANG EMAS (Aceros undulatus) TERHADAP PEROLEHAN PAKAN BUAH DENGAN SPESIES KOMPETITOR DI GUNUNG UNGARAN JAWA TENGAH

II.                LATAR BELAKANG

Indonesia memiliki 14 jenis dari 54 jenis burung famili Bucerotidae yang ada di dunia. Julang Emas (Aceros undulatus) merupakan salah satu jenis Bucerotidae yang memiliki status rentan dalam kategori konservasi IUCN (International United Conservation Nation) karena menghadapi resiko tinggi kepunahan di waktu mendatang. Julang emas memiliki daerah penyebaran meliputi India Timur, Cina Barat Daya, Asia Barat Daya, Semenarjung Malaysia, Kalimantan, Sumatera, Jawa dan Bali. Burung tersebut di Jawa dan Bali hanya terdapat di beberapa tempat (MacKinnon 2010).

Berdasarkan Peraturan Perlindungan Binatang Liar No. 226 tahun 1931 UU No. 5 tahun 1990 tentang Konservasi Sumber Daya Hayati dan Ekosistemnya yang dipertegas dengan SK Menteri Kehutanan No. 301/Kpts-II/1991 tentang Inventarisasi Satwa yang dilindungi undang-undang dan nomor: 883/Kpts-II/1992 tentang Penetapan Tambahan Beberapa Jenis Satwa yang Dilindungi Undang-undang, burung rangkong termasuk satwa liar yang dilindungi oleh pemerintah.

Julang Emas merupakan salah satu jenis burung Bucerotidae yang seluruh jenisnya saat ini terancam punah karena jumlah populasinya yang terus menurun. Salah satu hal yang menyebabkan penurunan tersebut adalah berkurangnya kawasan habitat yang menyediakan vegetasi sebagai sumber pakan. Disamping hal itu, banyaknya spesies kompetitor juga mempengaruhi perolehan pakan yang didapat oleh Julang Emas terhadap pakan buah Ficus. Dalam kasus ini spesies kompetitor tidak secara langsung mempengaruhi perilaku makan dari rangkong, tetapi lebih menjorok pada masalah perolehan makan yang didapatkan dari pohon pakan

Julang Emas (Famili Bucerotidae) merupakan jenis burung pemakan buah, khususnya buah ficus (Tsuji 1996, Kinnaird 1998, Poonswad 1998). Jenis-jenis buah yang dimakan oleh Julang Emas dapat dikategorikan sebagai buah kecil dalam jumlah banyak, termasuk jenis-jenis Ficus, dan buah yang memiliki batu (stone seeds), yaitu jenis-jenis non-Ficus (Poonswad 1998). Burung ini merupakan jenis pemakan buah masak (ripe fruit specialist). Pada musim berbiak sebanyak 69% dari pakannya merupakan buah Ficus (Kinnaird & O’Brien 1998), sementara pada musim tidak berbiak presentase ini meningkat menjadi 83% (Suryadi 1994).

Penelitian tentang Julang Emas, khususnya terhadap pakan dan kompetitor pakan, masih sangat terbatas. Salah satu daerah di Jawa Tengah yang menarik untuk dilakukan penelitian mengenai burung rangkong dan kompetitornya adalah Gunung Ungaran. Gunung Ungaran merupakan daerah berbukit dan berlembah, memiliki hutan alami yang masih baik. Selain burung rangkong di kawasan Gunung Ungaran terdapat satwa yang menarik lainnya. BKSDA provinsi Jawa Tengah menyatakan bahwa sampai saat ini belum ada penelitian yang memberikan informasi mengenai keadaan pakan dan kompetitor pakan di Gunung Ungaran Kabupaten Kendal. Padahal data atau informasi yang akurat mengenai pohon pakan khususnya ficus akan memberikan gambaran nyata dari lapangan mengenai kedaan habitat dan keanekaragaman satwa yang ada di dalamnya.

III.             RUMUSAN PENELITIAN

Bagaimana kompetisi Julang Emas (Aceros undulatus) terhadap perolehan pakan buah dengan spesies kompetitor di Gunung Ungaran Jawa Tengah ?

IV.             PENEGASAN ISTILAH

1.      Kompetisi adalah kata kerja intransitiv yang berarti tidak membutuhkan objek sebagai korban kecuali ditambah dengan pasangan kata lain seperti against (melawan), over (atas), atau with (dengan). Tambahan itu pilihan hidup dan bisa disesuaikan dengan kepentingan keadaan menurut versi tertentu.

2.      Julang Emas (bahasa Latin: Aceros undulatus) adalah spesies burung dari keluarga Bucerotidae, dari genus Aceros. Burung ini merupakan jenis burung pemakan buah-buahan, Ficus, kepiting, kodok yang memiliki habitat di hutan dataran rendah dan perbukitan. Tersebar sampai ketinggian 2.000 m dpl.

3.      Pakan merupakan sumber energi dan materi bagi pertumbuhan dan dan kehidupan makhluk hidup. Pakan berkualitas adalah pakan yang kandungan protein, lemak, karbohidrat, mineral dan vitaminnya seimbang.

4.      Yang dimaksud buah disini adalah buah ficus. Ficus adalah genus tumbuhan tropis yang secara alamiah tumbuh di daerah tropis dengan sejumlah spesies hidup di zona ugahari. Terdiri dari sekitar 850 spesies yang dapat berupa pohon kayu, semak, tunggul dan tumbuhan menjalar dalam familia Moraceae. Secara umum dikenal sebagai pohon ara. Pohon ara yang umum adalah spesies yang banyak ditemukan di daerah Asia Barat Daya, Timur Tengah dan sekitar Laut Tengah (dari Afganistan sampai Portugal), dan dibiakkan sejak jaman purba karena buahnya, yang dikenal sebagai buah ara. Buah yang dihasilkan kebanyakan spesies dapat dimakan, meskipun hanya mempunyai nilai ekonomi lokal. Namun, merupakan sumber makanan penting bagi hewan liar.

5.      Spesies Kompetitor adalah suatu takson yang dipakai dalam taksonomi untuk menunjuk pada satu atau beberapa kelompok individu (populasi) yang bersaing dalam hal perebutan daerah territorial ataupun makanan dan hal lain yang bersifat persaingan.

V.                TUJUAN PENELITIAN

Penelitian ini dimaksudkan untuk mengetahui tentang ekologi makan jenis burung ini, khususnya yang berkaitan tentang perolehan pakan Julang Emas dan spesies kompetitor dalam suatu daerah sumber pakan, mengetahui spesies kompetitor pakan yang dapat mempengaruhi perolehan pakan Julang Emas, serta mengetahui karakteristik pohon pakan dan buahnya yang meliputi tinggi pohon, diameter batang, bentuk buah, dan ukuran buah.

VI.             MANFAAT PENELITIAN

1.      Sebagai data awal tentang konservasi spesies yang berhubungan dengan pohon ficus

2.      Sebagai bagian data dari Perhutani, khususnya daerah Ungaran

3.      Dapat dijadikan acuan bagi penelitian selanjutnya

VII.          TINJAUAN PUSTAKA DAN HIPOTESIS

A.      Julang Emas

1.         Deskripsi

Secara umum ciri yang dimiliki burung rangkong adalah ukuran tubuhnya yang besar dengan panjang total antara 381 sampai 1600 mm. memiliki paruh yang sangat besar dan kokoh tetapi ringan dinamakan hornbill, berwarna merah atau kuning, melengkung dan sebagian besar burung ini memiliki cula. Bulu berwarna coklat, hitam, putih, atau hitam dan putih. Kulit dan bulu disekitar tenggorokan berwarna terang, sayap kuat, ekor panjang, kaki pendek, jari-jari kaki besar dan sindaktil.

Berdasarkan pengamatan pendahuluan diketahui bahwa burung rangkong yang dijumpai di Gunung Ungaran adalah jenis Aceros undulatus yang memiliki ciri-ciri berukuran besar (1000 mm), berekor putih, punggung, sayap, dan perut dari kedua jenis kelamin berwarna hitam, kepala jantan berwarna putih susu yang dilengkapi dengan bulu-bulu kemerah-merahan dan panjang di bagian bawah kepala, juga mempunyai kantung paruh yang tidak berbulu berwarna kuning dengan garis hitam yang nyata. Kepala dan leher betina berwarna hitam dengan kantung paruh biru. Iris merah, paruh kuning  dengan casque kecil dan bergelombang (MacKinnon 2010)

Aceros undulatus diklasifikasikan sebagai berikut:

Kingdom                : Animalia

Phylum                   : Chordata

Subphylum             : Vertebrata

Class                       : Aves

Super ordo              : Neognathae

Ordo                       : Coraciiformes

Family                     : Bucerotidae

Genus                     : Aceros (Rhyticeros)

Spesies                    : Aceros undulatus

(Sumber : MacKinnon 2010)

                                         

2.         Populasi dan Penyebaran Rangkong

Di seluruh dunia terdapat 45 jenis burung rangkong yang tersebar luas. Di Indonesia terdapat 14 jenis yang terdiri dari 7 genus yaitu: Annorhinus, Penelopides, Berenicornis, Rhyticeros, Anthracoceros, Buceros, dan Rhinoplax yang tersebar luas di hutan-hutan Sumatera (10 jenis), Jawa (3 jenis), Kalimantan (8 jenis), Sulawesi (2 jenis) dan Irian Jaya (1 jenis) (Holmes 1999). Daerah penyebaran dan status burung rangkong di Indonesia dapat dilihat pada Tabel 1.

Ukuran populasi dan penyebarannya dipengaruhi oleh kondisi habitat serta bentuk dan tingkat gangguan terhadap habitat burung rangkong (Andrew 1992). spesies mendekati kepunahan jika populasinya tidak lebih dari 250 ekor. Sedangkan spesies dikatakan langka jika hanya dijumpai pada habitat yang terbatas. Burung rangkong merupakan hewan yang memiliki populasi yang rendah, sehingga saat ini hanya dapat dinyatakan termasuk burung yang langka.

Tabel 1. Daftar Burung Rangkong di Indonesia beserta Daerah Penyebaran dan Statusnya (Holmes 1999)

No	Nama Ilmiah	Nama Inggris	Nama Indonesia	Daerah Penyebaran	Status
1.	Rhinoplax vigil (Buceros vigil)	Hermeted Hornbill	Enggang Raja	S, K	I
2.	Anthracoceros albirostris	Asian Piet Hornbill	Kengkareng Perut Putih	J, S	II
3.	Rhyticeros cassidix	Knobbed Hornbill	Julang Sulawesi	Sul	II
4.	Rhyticeros undulatus (Aceros undulatus)	Wreathred Hornbill	Julang Jambul Coklat	J, K, S	II
5.	Rhyticeros corrugatus	Wrinkled Hornbill	Julang Jambul Hitam	S, K	II
6.	Rhyticeros everitti	Sumba Hornbill	Julang Sumba	NT (Sumba)	II
7.	Rhyticeros plicatus	Blythis Hornbill	Julang Irian	Maluku, Irian	II
8.	Annorhinus galeritus	Bush-created Hornbill	Kengkareng Ekor Abu	S, K	II
9.	Penelopides exhalarus	Sulawesi Hornbill	Julang Kecil Sulawesi	Sul	II
10.	Berenicornis cornatus	White-croowned Hornbill	Enggang Jambul Putih	S, K	II
11.	Rhyticeros subruficolis	Plain pouched Hornbill	Enggang Sumatera	S	I
12.	Anthracoceros malayanus	Black Hornbill	Kengkareng Hitam	S, K	II
13.	Buceros rhinoceros	Rhinoceros Hornbill	Rangkong Badak	J, S, K	II
14.	Buceros bicornis	Great Hornbill	Rangkong Papan	S	I

Keterangan:

              I      = Spesises mendekati kepunahan, pemanfaatan spesises perlu perlakuan intensif yang ketat

              II     = Spesies langka, pemanfaatan spesies perlu pengawasan intensif

              S     = Sumatera

              K     = Kalimantan

              J      = Jawa

              NT  = Nusa Tenggara

              Sul  = Sulawesi

3.         Perilaku Rangkong

Burung Rangkong memilih aktivitas pagi hari karena kondisi tubuh yang lapar. Dengan demikian pagi hari akan berusaha untuk makan sebanyak-banyaknya. Energi yang diperoleh pada pagi hari diperlukan untuk melakukan aktivitas sosial selanjutnya. Meningkatnya aktivitas makan pada sore hari diduga sebagai strategi untuk tetap mempunyai energy pada malam hari (Suryadi 1994)

Burung Rangkong beristirahat dalam banyak kelompok yang terbagi dalam beberapa rusting tree. Dengan berkelompok, rangkong juga merasa aman dan nyaman untuk beristirahat. Bila ada satu individu yang merasa terancam maka dia akan mengeluarkan alarm call (tanda bahaya) dan ramai-ramai pula kelompok itu membubarkan diri.

Musim hujan merupakan suatu pendorong untuk terjadinya suatu perkembangbiakan. Sebab pada waktu tersebut didapatkan tanah basah yang berguna untuk membangun dinding sarang dan pada waktu telur menetas banyak ditemukan binatang kecil dan serangga yang melimpah sebagai salah satu sumber makanan.

4.         Habitat Rangkong

Menurut MacKinnon (2010), burung rangkong dapat dijumpai di hutan dataran rendah dan perbukitan. Hutan dataran rendah pada tajuk utamanya didominasi oleh jenis-jenis tumbuhan dari suku Dipterocarpaceae, tetapi jenis-jenis Leguminoceae seperti Kempas kompassia dan Merbau intsia, membentuk tajuk yang menjulang tinggi dan lebih menonjol. Batangnya yang besar dan tidak bercabang didukung oleh akar banir, seluruhnya dihiasi oleh tumbuhan yang merambat, epifit dan pohon ara yang melimpah. Pada hutan perbukitan Dipterocarpaceae mendominasi punggung bukit. Sisi bukit yang terjal ditutupi oleh hutan campuran kaya dengan relung burung. Tanah longsor yang sering terjadi membentuk susunan komunitas tumbuhan dalam berbagai tahap suksesi yang berbeda. Hutan ini merupakan hutan yang paling kaya dengan beranekaragam burung termasuk rangkong.

Pohon buah-buahan seperti kiara dan beringin yang banyak terdapat di hutan dataran rendah dan perbukitan merupakan pohon yang sering dicari, terutama oleh burung rangkong dari jenis Aceros undulatus.

Habitat rangkong yang terletak di kawasan tropis sangat dipengaruhi oleh iklim musim dingin, yang terjadi ketika tekanan yang tinggi di datara Asia dan angin dingin yang basah bertiup ke selatan menyapu kawasan Sunda Besar. Bulan November sampai April merupakan bulan yang paling dingin dan paling basah dalam setiap tahunnya.

Berbagai burung menanggapi musim dingin ini dengan berbagai cara yang berbeda. Burung rangkong yang termasuk burung pemakan buah biasanya berbiak pada musim hujan, yaitu ketika banyak pohon dan semak sedang berbuah.

Di Gunung Ungaran rangkong dapat dijumpai ketika melintas di atas perkebunan teh, selain itu dapat pula dijumpai di perbukitan sekitar kebun teh tersebut, terutama pada musim tidak berbiak, ketika aktivitas makan sedang berlangsung.

B.       Kompetisi

Kompetisi adalah kata kerja intransitiv yang berarti tidak membutuhkan objek sebagai korban kecuali ditambah dengan pasangan kata lain seperti against (melawan), over (atas), atau with (dengan). Tambahan itu pilihan hidup dan bisa disesuaikan dengan kepentingan keadaan menurut versi tertentu.

Menurut Deaux, Dane, & Wrightsman (1993), kompetisi adalah aktivitas mencapai tujuan dengan cara mengalahkan orang lain atau kelompok. Individu atau kelompok memilih untuk bekerja sama atau berkompetisi tergantung dari struktur reward dalam suatu situasi.

Menurut Chaplin (1999), kompetisi adalah saling mengatasi dan berjuang antara dua individu, atau antara beberapa kelompok untuk memperebutkan objek yang sama.

Kompetisi dalam istilah biologi berarti persaingan dua organisme atau lebih untuk mendapatkan kebutuhan hidup mereka. Berdasarkan kebutuhan tersebut kompetisi dibagi menjadi: (1) Kompetisi teritorial yaitu kompetisi untuk memperebutkan wilayah atau teritori tempat tinggal organisme, hal ini berkaitan dengan kompetisi selanjutnya. (2) Kompetisi makanan yaitu kompetisi untuk memperebutkan mangsa atau makanan dari wilayah-wilayah buruan.

Kompetisi juga dapat dibagi menjadi: (1) kompetisi internal adalah kompetisi pada organisme dalam satu spesies dan (2) kompetisi eksternal adalah kompetisi pada organisme yang berbeda spesiesnya. Kompetisi dapat berakibat positif atau negatif bagi salah satu pihak organisme atau bahkan berakibat negatif bagi keduanya. Kompetisi tidak selalu salah dan diperlukan dalam ekosistem, untuk menunjang daya dukung lingkungan dengan mengurangi ledakan populasi hewan yang berkompetisi.

Bucerotidae (burung rangkong) tergolong hewan frugivorous yang memanfaatkan buah di tajuk atas dan tengah pohon yang tinggi. Namun pernah dijumpai memakan burung-burung lain yang lebih kecil, serangga, dan mamalia jika ada, sehingga ada yang menggolongkan ke dalam omnivore. Umumnya aktivitas makan frugivorous bersifat bimodial yaitu memulainya pada pagi hari lalu menurun pada siang hari dan meningkat kembali pada sore hari. Tinggi rendahnya aktivitas makan diduga dipengaruhi oleh suhu sekitar dan perubahan intensitas cahaya matahari.

Kompetisi rangkong terhadap perolehan pakan dengan spesies kompetitor termasuk dalam kompetisi makanan yang bersifat eksternal. Artinya, persaingan yang dilakukan adalah dengan organisme lain yang berbeda spesies. Spesies yang sering terlihat berada pada kanopi pohon pakan adalah kelelawar buah (Megabat; fruit bats), kera hitam (capuchin), langur (Colobinae) dan mangabey. Dengan demikian pohon ficus merupakan spesies kunci (keystone species) di banyak ekosistem hutan tropis (rainforest). Terlebih lagi sangat penting untuk sejumlah unggas, seperti megalaimidae (Asian barbets), merpati, rangkong, Cyclopsittacini (fig-parrots) dan kutilang yang hanya hidup dari buah ficus pada musim buahnya (Shanahan 2001).

C.      Gunung Ungaran

Gunung Ungaran termasuk gunung berapi berapi tipe strato. Gunung ini memiliki tiga puncak: Gendol, Botak, dan Ungaran. Puncak tertinggi adalah Ungaran.

Dari puncak gunung ini, jika memandang ke utara akan terlihat Laut Jawa sedangkan jika membalikkan badan, akan terlihat jajaran (dari kiri ke kanan) Gunung Merapi, Gunung Merbabu, Gunung Telomoyo dan Kendalisodo dengan Rawa Peningnya, Gunung Sumbing, Gunung Sindoro, dan Gunung Perahu.

Tidak ada catatan yang jelas mengenai aktivitas gunung ini. Namun, diperkirakan gunung ini pernah meletus pada zaman kerajaan dahulu, dengan letusan yang amat dahsyat sehingga menghancurkan dua pertiga bagian puncak dari semula sehingga yang dapat dilihat sekarang adalah hanya sepertiga bagian dari gunung Ungaran berapi purba. Diperkirakan, gunung ini sedang mengalami masa tidur panjang dan sewaktu-waktu dapat aktif kembali.

Gunung Ungaran terletak sebagian di wilayah Kabupaten Kendal dan sebagian lagi di wilayah Kabupaten Semarang yaitu lebih kurang 21 Km ke arah selatan dari kota Semarang. Gunung Ungaran meliputi daerah berbukit-bukit dan lembah seluas 5.500 ha. Gunung Ungaran memiliki hutan alam yang masih baik pada daerah lereng-lereng atas dan curam. Sedangkan pada bagian lain telah berubah menjadi perkebunan kopi dan teh serta hutan pinus. Di sebelah timur Gunung Ungaran terdapat Cagar Alam Gebugan yang juga merupakan hutan yang bagus dan dikelilingi oleh perkebunan kopi.

Selain flora, berbagai fauna yang menarik untuk diamati dapat dijumpai di Gunung Ungaran, seperti burung rangkong, elang jawa, elang ular bido, elang hitam, alap-alap sapi dan hewan primata seperti Macaca sp. Keberadaan fauna tersebut terancam habitatnya karena kegiatan manusia seperti perburuan dan penebangan liar. Obyek wisata seperti pemandian air panas Gonoharjo adalah salah satu contoh tempat yang menyebabkan berkurangnya habitat barbagai fauna tersebut.

VIII.       METODE PENELITIAN

A.    Lokasi dan Waktu Penelitian

Penelitian ini dilakukan di gunung Gentong, Ungaran, Jawa Tengah. Waktu penelitian dilakukan pada bulan Februari – April 2014. Pengambilan data dilakukan setiap satu minggu dua kali pada pukul 07.00 – 17.00.

B.     Populasi dan Sampel

Populasi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah semua individu rangkong dan spesies lain yang terdapat pada pohon pakan yang terdapat di Gunung Ungaran Kabupaten Kendal Jawa Tengah.

C.    Variabel Penelitian

Variabel dalam penelitian ini antara lain untuk pohon ficus meliputi tinggi pohon, diameter batang, bentuk buah, dan ukuran buah. Variabel untuk julang emas dan spesies kompetitor meliputi waktu perjumpaan, lokasi pada kanopi pohon, jumlah, dan aktivitas.

D.    Rancangan Percobaan

Rancangan percobaan untuk penelitian ini meliputi rancangan acak lengkap dan rancangan pengukuran.

E.     Alat Penelitian

Alat-alat yang digunakan adalah sebagai berikut:

1.      Kamera

2.      Teropong monobular dan binocular

3.      Buku panduan lapangan Burung di Sumatera, Jawa, Bali, dan Kalimantan MacKinnon 2010

4.      Meteran

5.      Data sheet

F.     Prosedur Penelitian

Lokasi penelitian disurvei untuk mengidentifikasi jenis-jenis Ficus yang ada dan yang sedang berbuah. Dari jenis Ficus yang sedang berbuah ini dilakukan pengamatan terhadap karakteristik pohon dan buahnya, yang meliputi tinggi pohon, diameter batang, bentuk buah, ukuran buah.

Table 1. karakteristik pohon dan buah ficus di bukit Gentong, Ungaran, Jawa Tengah

No	Tinggi pohon	Dimeter batang	Bentuk buah	Ukuran buah*	Estimasi kerapatan buah**

* kategori ukuran buah

            Kecil    = panjang ≤ 10mm

            Sedang            = panjang 10 – 20 mm

            Besar    = panjang ≥ 20 mm

**scoring estimasi kerapatan buah

            1 = buah terdapat pada 1-25% dari tutupan kanopi

            2 = buah terdapat pada 26-50% dari tutupan kanopi

            3 = buah terdapat pada 51-75% dari tutupan kanopi

            4 = buah terdapat pada 76-100% dari tutupan kanopi          

Pengamatan terhadap perilaku makan dilakukan terhadap beberapa species Ficus yang terdapat di kawasan ini selama 30 hari, setelah dilakukan penyesuaian selama 1-2 hari agar rangkong terbiasa dengan kehadiran pengamat. Data yang diambil meliputi waktu aktif rangkong mencari makan, lokasi tempat mencari makan pada kanopi pohon, pengelompokan rangkong pada saat tiba dan spesies lain yang memakan buah ficus tersebut.

Selain itu dilakukan pula pengamatan terhadap kecepatan makan rangkong melalui binocular dengan menghitung buah yang dimakan setiap menit selama 10 menit berturut-turut, dengan masa istirahat selama 5 menit dan pengulangan 3 kali. Kemudian dilakukan pengamatan perbedaan jenis kelamin terhadap rangkong yang dapat terlihat dengan jelas. Individu jantan dan betina dapat dibedakan berdasarkan perbedaan warna balung (casque) dan bulu leher. Individu jantan memiliki  kepala berwarna krem, bulu halus berwarna kemerahan atau merah bata pada tengkuk, kantung leher kuning tidak berbulu dan membentuk gelambir dengan strip hitam yang khas. Sedangkan individu betina memiliki kepala berwarna krem bulu halus berwarna hitam terbentuk dari tengkuk, kantung leher biru tidak berbulu.

Table 2. daftar perjumpaan Julang Emas di pohon pakan

No	Waktu*	Lokasi pada kanopi pohon	Jumlah		Aktivitas	Keterangan
			Jantan	Betina

            *pengambilan data Julang Emas –scaning (Altman 1974)

                        Pagi (07.00-09.00), Siang (11.00-13.00), Sore (15.00-17.00)

Table 3. daftar perjumpaan spesies competitor di pohon pakan

No	Spesies	Waktu*	Lokasi pada kanopi pohon	Jumlah	Aktivitas	Keterangan

*pengambilan data Julang Emas –scaning (Altman 1974)

                        Pagi (07.00-09.00), Siang (11.00-13.00), Sore (15.00-17.00)

G.           Metode Analisis Data

Untuk mengetahui apakah pemilihan waktu, lokasi dan pengelompokan dilakukan secara acak, dipakai uji statistic χ2. Kecepatan makan antar jenis kelamin dan spesies ficus diuji dengan t (Steel and Torrie 1980).

IX.             DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Altman, J. 1974. Observational Study of Behavior: Sampling Methods. Alle Laboratory of Animal Behavior, University of Chicago. Illnois. U.S.A.

Andrew, P. 1992. The Birds of Indonesia: A Checklist. Indonesian Ornithological Society.       Jakarta.

Chaplin. 1999. Competition: from Individuals to Ecosystems. MA: Blackwell Pub. Malden.

Deaux, H., Dane, & Wrightsman. 1993. Competition: Principles and Applications. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

Holmes, D. ; I. S., Suwelo dan B., van Balen. 1999. The Distribution and Status of Hornbills in Indonesia. Bangkok.

Kinnaird, M.F. 1998. Evidence for Effective Seed Dispersal by The Sulawesi Red-knobbed       Hornbill, Aceros cassidix. Biotropica 30(1): 50-55.

Kinnaird, M.F.; T.G. O’Brien & J. Ross Sinclain. 1998. The role of Sulawesi Red-knobbed       Hornbills Aceros cassidix in seed dispersal. Pp. 245-252 in P. Poonswad (Ed.). the Asian Hornbills: Ecology and conservation. BIOTEC-NSTDA, Bangkok, Thailand.

MacKinnon, J., Karen Philips dan B. Van Balen. 2010. Burung di Sumatera, Jawa, Bali dan Kalimantan (Termasuk Sabah, Serawak, dan Brunei Darussalam). Puslitbang-Biologi. Jakarta.

Poonswad, P; A. Tsuji, N. Jirawatkavi, V. Chimchome. 1998. Some aspects of food and feeding ecology of sympatric hornbill species in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.     Pp.137-157 in P.  Poonswad (Ed.). The Asian hornbills: Ecology and conservation.BIOTEC-NSTDA, Bangkok, Thailand.

Shanahan, M.; Compton, S. G.; So, Samson & Corlett, Richard. 2001. Fig-eating by Vertebrate Frugivores: A Global Review. Collins & Brown. London.

Steel, Robert G.; Torrie, James H. 1980. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach. McGraw-Hill. New York.

Suryadi. 1994. Tingkah laku makan Rangkong Sulawesi Rhyticeros cassidix Temminck (Aves: Bucerotidae) pada masa tidak berbiak di Cagar Alam Tangkoko-Batuangus,  Sulawesi. Skripsi. Jurusan Biologi, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam,Universitas Indonesia, Depok.

Tsuji, A. 1996. Hornbills: Masters of tropical forests. Sarakadee Press Honbill Research Foundation. Bangkok.