9/20/2023 0 Comments Shoebill stork originThe shoebill favors the vast papyrus swamps of the Sudd, in northern East Africa. It has long legs and long toes, which also help it traverse sodden, marshy habitats. It’s wings help it keep its balance when clambering over shifting, wet vegetation. The shoebill’s wings are well suited for soaring they are strong enough to enable the bird to lift off near vertically, though it requires a powerful leap and a few heavy wing beats to catch a thermal. The upper mandible ends in a sharp nail, which helps shish-kabab slippery prey. Its unusual large, splotchy bill has sharp edges, which help in the swift decapitation of prey, and also in separating out vegetation that may be grabbed with the fish. It has a small, shaggy nuchal crest and piercing eyes that are yellowish or grayish-white. The belly is white, with some elongated feathers on the breast, with dark, contrasting shafts. A soothing combination of blue-gray, dark gray, and slate color make up most of its plumage. Shoebills are large-bodied, sturdy birds. ![]() Further muddying the waters, the shoebill’s mighty skull resembles that of pelicans, but that could be due to convergent evolution and both birds’ violent method of fishing (see Diet section below).īig bird. It shares some behavioral and anatomical characteristics with storks, but it is more like herons (Ardeidae), with its powder-downs (a special type of down feathers located on the breast and belly) and its habit of flying with its neck retracted. Once classified as a stork-shoebill stork or whale-headed stork-it is now in a Family of its own: Balaenicipitidae. Oh, and it’s a musical instrument! Shoebills perform bill clapping to drive away interlopers and woo mates males and females have different tones to their “clapping.”Ī league of its own. Over 7 inches (19 centimeters) long, and nearly as wide, it is also cavernous inside-and a handy container for fish prey, as well as water to douse its eggs or chicks with, as needed. Solitary in nature, even when paired with another, the birds like their space and will feed at opposite ends of their territory.īut what really gives the shoebill a leg up is its big, bulbous bill, which serves many purposes. Taller than a mailbox, with an eight-foot wingspan, the shoebill is quite a kick to observe! This hefty bird with its lesson-in-gray plumage is endemic to swamps and wetlands of Central and East Africa. Despite its outward appearance, it was probably a lot less ornery when it woke up than I am.You probably wouldn’t win a staring contest with it, though you’d be hard pressed to look away. That big red thing under its neck isn't gore or viscera that's a dewlap.Ĭentrosaurus brinkmani waking up from a good night's rest. The eye is supposed to be closed, but the wrinkles I added make it look like it's a bit open. This old bull is just waking up, letting out a tremendous yawn from its heavily-ornamented head. ![]() I decided to take my own shot at depicting one of my favorite animals, Centrosaurus brinkmani, in a similar fashion. Don't you just want to curl up with it on your sofa? Reconstruction by John Conway, from the book All Yesterdays. This is an activity not often featured by paleontographers: dinosaurs in the act of sleeping, settling down for rest, or waking up. One particularly cute interesting illustration features Tyrannosaurus rex, the famous king tyrant-lizard, curled up on the ground taking a paleo-nap. Examples include allosaurs and camptosaurs coexisting peacefully, plesiosaurs displaying carpetshark-like camouflage, and amorous stegosaurs forcing themselves upon unsuspecting sauropods. For those who don't know, All Yesterdays focuses on reimagining dinosaurs and other creatures of the past in ways we don't often picture them, while still retaining an element of realism. Ever since Naish, Kosemen, and Conway's new book, All Yesterdays, was released, a slew of new and exciting reconstructions of extinct animals have been created.
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