Gannet seabird Morus Sulidae gannets bird hunt fish diving coast beach ocean coastal
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies. The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 metres. The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand. Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this: they have no external nostrils; they have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water; their eyes are positioned far enough forward on their face to give them binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately. Gannets can dive from a height of 30 m, achieving speeds of 100 km/h as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds. The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to "gannet" becoming a disapproving description of somebody who eats excessively, similar to "glutton".
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Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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