The Skulls of 4 Aquatic Animal-Eating Birds (IMAGE)

University College London

The Skulls of 4 Aquatic Animal-Eating Birds

Caption

This shows the very different skull shape in four different bird species that all eat the same diet: aquatic animals. Despite eating similar diets, they acquire their prey in very different ways and have very different skull shapes. The colored dots on each skull are the 3D landmarks used to quantify skull shape, and each color represents a different sub region of the skull. From top to bottom, the northern gannet (Morus bassanus), Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), and the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae).

Credit

Dr. Ryan Felice, UCL

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