King vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). Native to South America this vulture is, unlike the African and Eurasian vultures, not descended from eagles and haw

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King vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). Native to South America this vulture is, unlike the African and Eurasian vultures, not descended from eagles and hawks. Instead its shared ancestors are the same as those for storks. But in an example of convergent evolution it has formed similar solutions to similar problems. Its wingspan of over a metre allows it to soar on thermals looking for carcasses to eat or, more often, for the tell- tale sign of other vultures circling an area. Its size advantage allows it to force a way through those vultures and, in a mutually beneficial arrangement, its powerful beak enables it to open up carcasses inaccessible to other birds.

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Size: 3464px × 5196px
Photo credit: © DAVID AUBREY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: american, animal, biological, biology, bird, carrion-eating, fauna, king, nature, ornithological, ornithology, papa, prey, raptor, sarcoramphus, scavenger, south, vulture, wildlife, zoological, zoology