Animal on a tree with big eyes. Black color among animals
The phenomenon of melanism is observed under normal conditions in many species of animals: mammals (squirrel, fox, almost all species of the cat family), reptiles (coral snake), insects, fish.
Melanism(from the Greek μέλας - “black”) - a phenotype, the predominant distribution of dark-colored individuals in any type of organism. Black, brown or brown coloration of the outer integument of animals, determined by melanin pigments, arises as a result of hereditary changes and can be “picked up” by natural selection if dark forms are more viable than light ones.
Among mammals, the classic example of melanism is in cats. Leopards, pumas, and jaguars that exhibit melanism are commonly called "panthers" or "black panthers." An example of the strong prevalence of a mutation that leads to melanism in the cat population is the leopard population in Malaysia, where about 50% of the animals are black. In general, among big cats, melanism is usually more common in those populations that live in dense forests - given the lack of light, dark animals are less noticeable here than in open areas, which make it easier for them to survive.
Black melanistic forms are also common in the domestic cat. At the same time, in populations of feral cats in big cities natural selection leads to an increase in the relative number of black individuals: it has been proven that black cats have a more balanced nervous system and a faster reaction than cats of other colors, which makes it easier for the former to survive in an urban environment.
The black panther is the typical melanistic coloration of any big cat species. IN Latin America the black panther is simply a melanistic jaguar, in Asia and Africa they are black leopards, and in North America there may be black jaguars or pumas. By the way, it has been proven that black cats have a more balanced nervous system and a faster reaction than cats of other colors. In the photo: a melanistic jaguar. (bencowtastic on Imgur)
Melanistic rattlesnake. (Windy @ CaptiveBred Reptile Forums)
Melanistic (black) fawn. The black coloration of the outer integument of animals, determined by melanin pigments, arises as a result of hereditary changes and can be “picked up” by natural selection if dark forms are more viable than light ones. (R.M. Buquoi @ rmbphotographics.com)
Melanistic wolf (black wolf). (bencowtastic on Imgur)
Melanistic king penguin. Melanism is most often the result of mutations, but can also occur due to other factors, such as exposure to temperature during pregnancy, which can affect gene transcription and translation. (Carl Safina @ CarlSafina.org)
Melanistic zebra. (bencowtastic on Imgur)
Melanistic red fox. The phenomenon of melanism is observed under normal conditions in many animal species. (shesnuckingufts on Flickr)
Melanistic common giant lizard. (Blue Tongue Lizard @ bluetonguelizard.com.au)
Melanistic seal. It has been proven that many species of animals with melanistic coloration have a higher survival rate, in particular, their skin is less exposed to sunlight. (bencowtastic on Imgur)
Melanistic Carolina squirrel. The opposite of melanism is called albinism. (JaGa on Wikipedia)
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The king penguin is similar to the emperor penguin, but is slightly smaller in size and brighter in color. The body length of the king penguin ranges from 91 cm to 1 m. Adult birds have a gray back, large bright orange spots on the sides of the black head and on the chest. The belly is white. The chicks are brown in color and have fluffy fur.
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The albatross is the largest sea bird. Of the modern birds, the wandering albatross has the largest wingspan (more than 3 m). And the albatross chick ranks ninth in our ranking of the fluffiest animals.
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Abundant, thick, supple, dense “polar” coat. The Samoyed is a dog with a double coat: a short, soft and dense undercoat and a long, coarser and straighter outer coat. Wool has self-cleaning ability. If the dog is not washed often, this property remains for life. That is, it is enough to wash it no more than 2 times a year.
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The country in which this funny creature was born is the United States of America. And although these animals are very special and unlike any other, there is no officially fluffy breed of cow yet. Among experts, the stuffed cow is listed as a crossbreed.
In order for the coat to shine, the animal must receive special nutrition. In addition, in order for it to comb well, not fall off and not stick out in clumps, it requires almost professional hairdressing care. Getting such a miracle is not a cheap pleasure. The price of one calf can be measured in tens of thousands of dollars. For now, the animal is available for purchase only in the States.
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Wool for a Spitz is a source of pride and characteristic distinction; it is what gives the Spitz the appearance of a fluffy lump, because the hard guard hairs are lifted by a thick undercoat. Sixth place in our top fluffiest.
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This is a very ancient breed, the first representatives of which were bred in China. Famous traveler Already in the 13th century, Marco Polo, in his notes about China, described these amazing birds in sufficient detail. The plumage of these birds is soft and silky, more reminiscent of the wool or hair of fur-bearing animals. This feature is due to the fact that the feather core is very fragile.
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This is one of the most difficult breeds to care for. A cat's fur needs to be carefully looked after every day, otherwise it becomes tangled, the undercoat falls off, and numerous tangles form. You should powder the coat daily with talcum powder or a special chalk-based powder, then comb it thoroughly with a comb or brush. In addition, regular washing is required.
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The coat is rich, abundant, dense, straight and standing. The guard hair is of a rather coarse structure, with a soft fluffy undercoat. Particularly abundant hair forms a mane or collar around the neck and well-defined feathering on the back of the thighs.
The chow chow has a blue tongue. On this subject there is an old Chinese legend: When God created the sky, a curious chow chow licked its edge. Since then, the dogs' tongues have allegedly turned blue.
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The result of living in a cold mountain climate is thick and warm fur. Chinchillas hold the record for fur density among animals - There are more than 25,000 hairs per square centimeter of skin. Such a high density is ensured by the unusual structure of the fur: 60-80 very fine hairs grow from each hair follicle. Chinchillas have no hard guard hairs, downy hairs are only 12-16 microns thick, covering hairs are 24-28 microns and 4-8 mm longer than down hairs.
Here he is, the furry king! Angora rabbits are one of the oldest rabbit breeds bred in Turkey. The name of these animals was given by the name of the capital Ankara, formerly called Angora.
Caring for Angora rabbits is much more difficult than their short-haired counterparts: their fur requires combing at least twice a week. Angora rabbits are very active, playful and social and are therefore a fairly common pet in Europe.
1. Leafy sea dragon.
What kind of animal: sea fish, a relative of the seahorse.
Habitat: in the waters surrounding southern and western Australia, most often in shallow, moderately warm water.
Special signs: the leaf-like shoots of the head and body serve only for camouflage. It moves using the pectoral fin located on the crest of the neck, as well as the dorsal fin near the tip of the tail. These fins are completely transparent.
Dimensions: grows up to 45 cm.
By the way: The leafy sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.
2. Malayan bear or biruang.
What kind of animal: mammal of the bear family.
Habitat: from northeast India and southern China through Myanmar, Thailand, the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas to Indonesia.
Special signs: a stocky, strong animal with a short and wide muzzle. The ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; the claws are very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small. The biruang's fur is short, stiff and smooth. The color is black, on the face it turns into roan-yellow. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or reddish horseshoe-shaped spot, resembling in shape and color rising Sun. A nocturnal animal, it often sleeps all day or sunbathes in the branches of trees, where it builds a kind of nest for itself.
Dimensions: the smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus a 3-7 cm tail), the height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg.
By the way: biruangs are one of the most rare species bears.
3. Komondor.
What kind of animal: Hungarian Shepherd is a breed of dog.
Habitat:
Special signs: When keeping a Komondor, special care is required for its coat, the length of which can reach almost a meter. It cannot be combed, but as it grows, the formed strands must be separated so that the hair does not fall off.
Dimensions: this “king of the Hungarian Shepherds” is one of the largest dogs in the world, the height at the withers of males is more than 80 cm, and the long white hair, curled into original laces, makes the dog even more massive and impressive.
By the way: Feeding this huge dog is not difficult. Like any herding dog, they are very unpretentious and eat very little, a little more than 1 kg of food per day.
4. Angora rabbit.
What kind of animal: a rodent-type mammal.
Habitat: where its home is, since it is a pet. More precisely - everywhere.
Special signs: This animal is, indeed, extremely impressive; there are specimens whose fur reaches a length of up to 80 cm. This wool is very valued, and a wide variety of useful things are prepared from it, even underwear, stockings, gloves, scarves and, finally, just fabrics. A kilogram of Angora rabbit wool is usually valued at 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit can produce up to 0.5 kg of such wool per year, but usually produces less. The Angora rabbit is most often bred by ladies, which is why it is sometimes called “ladies’ rabbit”.
Dimensions: average weight 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest circumference 38 cm, but variations are possible.
By the way: These rabbits should be combed every week, as if their fur is not taken care of, they get a disgusting appearance.
5. Red panda.
What kind of animal: animal of the raccoon family.
Habitat: China, northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeastern India. Not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in a temperate climate.
Special signs: The fur of the red panda is red or hazel on top, dark, reddish-brown or black below. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and there is a mask-like pattern near the eyes. The red panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, twilight) lifestyle; during the day it sleeps in a hollow, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees very well, but, nevertheless, they feed mainly on the ground - mainly on young leaves and bamboo shoots.
Dimensions: body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weighs 3-4.5 kg
By the way: Little pandas live alone. The female’s “personal” territory occupies an area of about 2.5 square meters. km, the male is twice as large.
6. Sloth.
What kind of animal: an incompletely toothed mammal belonging to the family Bradypodidae.
Habitat: found in Central and South America.
Special signs: Sloths spend almost all their time hanging on a tree branch with their backs down; sloths sleep 15 hours a day. The physiology and behavior of sloths is focused on strict energy savings, because... They feed on low-calorie leaves. Digestion takes about a month. In a well-fed sloth, ⅔ of its body weight may be food in its stomach. Sloths have long necks to reach leaves over a large area without moving. The body temperature of an active sloth is 30-34 °C, and at rest it is even lower. Sloths really don’t like to get out of trees, because on the ground they are completely helpless. In addition, it requires energy. They climb down to relieve their natural needs, which they do only once a week (that’s why they have a huge bladder) and sometimes to move to another tree, where, in order to further save energy, they often gather in groups in the forks of branches. There is an assumption that at the same time they mate lazily.
Dimensions: body weight of sloths different types varies from 4 to 9 kg, and the body length is about 60 centimeters.
By the way: Sloths are so slow that the moth often lives in their fur.
7. Imperial Tamarina.
What kind of animal: primate, prehensile-tailed monkey.
Habitat: in the rainforests of the Amazon basin in areas of southeastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia and northwestern Brazil.
Special signs: distinguishing feature species - a particularly long white mustache, hanging down to the chest and shoulders in two strands. The toes have claws, not nails, only the big toes of the hind legs have nails. Most They spend their lives in trees, where larger species of monkeys cannot climb due to their weight.
Dimensions: Body length is 9.2-10.4 inches, tail length is 14-16.6 inches. The weight of adults is 180-250 g.
By the way: Tamarins live in groups of 2-8 individuals. All members of the group have their own rank, and at the highest level is the old female. Therefore, males carry the cubs.
8. White-faced saki.
What kind of animal: primate, broad-nosed monkey.
Habitat: They live in rain forests, drier forests and even the savannas of the Amazon, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Special signs: The coat color is black, the front of the head, forehead and throat of males are light, almost white. Sometimes the head is reddish in color. The fur is thick and soft, the tail is long and fluffy. The tail is not prehensile. Females have a general coloration of brown and uniform. There are lighter stripes around the nose and mouth.
Dimensions: males weigh 1.5-2 kg and are slightly heavier than females. Body length 15 inches, tail 20 inches.
By the way: White-faced sakis spend their entire lives in trees. Sometimes they go down to the lower tier tropical forest(on the lower branches of trees and bushes) in search of food. In case of danger, they make long jumps, while the tail serves as a balancer. Active during the day and night.
9. Tapir.
What kind of animal: a large herbivore from the order of equids.
Habitat: in Central America, in warm places of South America and in southeast Asia.
Special signs: tapirs are relatively ancient mammals: even among the remains of animals 55 million years old, you can find many tapir-like animals. The closest animals to tapirs are other odd-toed ungulates: equines and rhinoceroses. Their front legs are four-toed, and their hind legs are three-toed; their toes have small hooves that help them move on muddy and soft ground.
Dimensions: The sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but, as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg.
By the way: tapirs are forest animals that love water. In forests, tapirs feed on fruits, leaves and berries. Their main enemy is man, who hunts tapirs for their meat and skin.
10. Hagfish.
What kind of animal: animal from the class of jawless.
Habitat: inhabit the seas of temperate latitudes, staying near the bottom at a depth of up to 400 m. At salinity below 29% they stop feeding, and at 25% and below they die.
Special signs: The hagfish's mouth opening lacks a suction disc and is surrounded by only two pairs of antennae. By gnawing into the skin of the victim with strong horny teeth, they inject enzymes that dissolve proteins. Hagfishes most often prey on weakened vertebrate and invertebrate animals, as well as carrion. Often they find skeletons of fish covered with skin, and inside there are hagfish that have eaten all their entrails and muscles.
Dimensions: body length up to 80 cm.
By the way: in Japan and some other countries hagfish are eaten.
11. Star-Bearer.
What kind of animal: insectivorous mammal of the mole family.
Habitat: found only in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Special signs: Outwardly, the star-nosed fish differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only in its characteristic stigma structure in the form of a rosette or star of 22 soft, fleshy, mobile bare rays.
Dimensions: The star-nosed mole is similar in size to the European mole. The tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair
By the way: when the starfish is looking for food, the fleshy rays on the stigma are in constant motion, with the exception of the two middle-upper ones, which are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are pulled together into a compact pile; While eating, the animal holds the food with its front paws. When the starfish drinks, it immerses both the stigma and the entire mustache in water for 5-6 seconds.
12. Proboscis.
What kind of animal: a species of primate from the subfamily of slender-bodied monkeys within the family Ape.
Habitat: distributed exclusively on the island of Borneo, where it inhabits coastal regions and valleys.
Special signs: The most striking feature of the proboscis whale is its large, cucumber-like nose, which, however, is only found in males. The fur of proboscis dogs is yellowish-brown on the upper side and white on the underside. The arms, legs and tail are gray, and the hairless face is red.
Dimensions: The size of proboscis monkeys reaches from 66 to 75 cm, the tail is approximately as long as the body. The weight of males ranges from 16 to 22 kg, twice the weight of females.
By the way: proboscis whales are excellent swimmers, jumping into the water directly from trees and able to overcome up to 20 meters while diving underwater. Of all primates, they are perhaps the best swimmers.
13. Lesser cape-bearer.
What kind of animal: family of mammals of the order edentates.
Habitat: Armadillos inhabit the steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of Central and South America.
Special signs: These are the only modern mammals whose body is covered on top with a shell formed by cutaneous ossifications. The shell consists of the head, shoulder and pelvic shields and a number of hoop-like stripes encircling the body from above and from the sides. The parts of the shell are interconnected by elastic connective tissue, which gives mobility to the entire shell.
Dimensions: body length from 12.5 (frilled armadillos) to 100 cm (giant armadillo); weight from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2.5 to 50 cm.
By the way: The respiratory tract of armadillos is voluminous and serves as a reservoir of air, so that these animals can hold their breath for 6 minutes. This helps them cross bodies of water (often armadillos simply cross them along the bottom). The air taken into the lungs compensates for the weight of the heavy shell, allowing the armadillo to swim.
14. Axolotl.
What kind of animal: larval form of an amphibian from the Ambystomaceae family.
Habitat: in mountain ponds in Mexico.
Special signs: On the sides of the axolotl's head, long, shaggy branches grow, three on each side. These are gills. Periodically, the larva presses them to the body and shakes them to clean them of organic residues. The axolotl's tail is long and wide, which helps it when swimming. It is interesting that the axolotl breathes with both gills and lungs - if the water is poorly saturated with oxygen, then the axolotl switches to pulmonary breathing, and over time its gills partially atrophy.
Dimensions: total length - up to 30 cm.
By the way: Axolotls lead a very calm, measured lifestyle, not bothering themselves with unnecessary expenditure of energy. They lie calmly on the bottom, sometimes, wagging their tail, they rise to the surface of the water “for a breath of air.” But this is a predator that attacks its prey from ambush.
15. Ay-ay.
What kind of animal: the largest animal of their nocturnal primates.
Habitat: Eastern and northern Madagascar. Lives in the same ecological niche as woodpeckers.
Special signs: has a brown color with white speckles and a large fluffy tail; like woodpeckers, it feeds mainly on worms and larvae, although it was initially believed - because of their teeth - that they eat like rodents.
Dimensions: weight – about 2.5 kg. Length – 30-37 cm without tail and 44-53 cm with tail.
By the way: one of the rarest animals on the planet - several dozen individuals, which is why it was discovered relatively recently.
16. Alpaca.
What kind of animal: animal of the camel family.
Habitat: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, at an altitude of over 3500-5000 meters.
Special signs: valued primarily for its wool (24 natural shades), which has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight. 5 kg of wool is sheared from one individual; they are sheared once a year. The absence of front teeth forces alpacas to pick up food with their lips and chew with their lateral teeth. A very good-natured, intelligent, inquisitive animal.
Dimensions: alpaca height is 61-86 cm, and weight is 45-77 kg.
By the way: The Indians believed that in order for an alpaca's wool to be blessed, it was necessary to kill it by tearing its heart out of its chest. Nowadays this is considered barbaric, but cases when several men hold an alpaca while someone cuts out a heart from its chest still occur.
17. Tarsier.
What kind of animal: a mammal from the genus of primates.
Habitat: tarsiers live in South-East Asia, especially on the islands.
Special signs: Tarsiers are particularly distinguished by their long hind limbs, large head that can rotate almost 360°, and good hearing. The fingers are extremely long, the ears are round and bare. The soft wool has a brown or grayish tint. However, the most noticeable feature is the large eyes, up to 16 mm in diameter. When projected onto human height, tarsiers correspond to the size of an apple.
Dimensions: Tarsiers are small animals, their height ranges from 9 to 16 cm. In addition, they have a bare tail with a length of 13 to 28 cm. Weight varies from 80 to 160 grams.
By the way: in the past, tarsiers played a large role in the mythology and superstition of the peoples of Indonesia. The Indonesians thought that the heads of tarsiers were not attached to the body (since they could rotate almost 360°), and were afraid to encounter them, because they believed that the same fate could happen to people in this case.
18. Dumbo Octopus.
What kind of animal: a small and peculiar deep-sea octopus, a representative of cephalopods.
Habitat: found in the Tasman Sea.
Special signs: Apparently he got his nickname in honor of the famous cartoon character - Dumbo the elephant, who was ridiculed for his big ears(in the middle of the body the octopus has a pair of rather long, oar-shaped fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called the umbrella. It, together with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
Dimensions: The found octopus is half the size of a human palm.
By the way: Little is known today about the varieties, habits and behavior of these octopuses. Watch on YouTube.
19. Frilled lizard.
What kind of animal: lizard from the agamidae family.
Habitat: northwestern Australia and southern New Guinea. There it lives in dry forests and forest-steppes.
Special signs: color ranges from yellow-brown to black-brown. Stands out for its long tail, constituting two-thirds of the body length of the frilled lizard. However, the most noticeable feature is the large collar-shaped fold of skin located around the head and adjacent to the body. The fold contains numerous blood vessels. The frilled lizard has strong limbs and sharp claws.
Dimensions: The length of the frilled lizard is from 80 to 100 cm, females are much smaller than males.
By the way: when in danger, it opens its mouth, sticks out its brightly colored collar (it can stand up to 30 cm from the body), stands on its hind legs, makes hissing sounds and hits the ground with its tail - which makes it seem scarier and more dangerous than it is.
20. Narwhal.
What kind of animal: unicorn, a mammal of the unicorn family.
Habitat: The narwhal lives in high latitudes - in the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic.
Special signs: In size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark coloration of the suckers, narwhals are similar to beluga whales, however, adult individuals are distinguished by spotting - grayish-brown spots on a light background, which sometimes merge - and the presence of only 2 upper teeth. Of these, the left one develops in males into a tusk up to 2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg, twisted in a left-hand spiral, while the right one usually does not erupt. The right tusk in males and both tusks in females are hidden in the gums and develop rarely, in about one case out of 500.
Dimensions: The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5-4.5 m, newborns are about 1.5 m. The weight of males reaches 1.5 tons, of which about a third of the weight is fat; females weigh about 900 kg.
By the way: It’s not exactly clear why a narwhal needs a tusk, but not to break through a crust of ice. This tusk is a sensitive organ and presumably allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature and relative concentration of suspended particles in the water. By crossing their tusks, narwhals apparently clear them of growths.
21. Madagascar suckerfoot.
What kind of animal: chiropteran mammal.
Habitat: found only in Madagascar.
Special signs: On the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, sucker bats have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike the suckers in sucker-footed bats).
Dimensions: small animal: body length 5.7 cm, tail 4.8 cm; weight 8-10 g.
By the way: The biology and ecology of the suckerfoot has been virtually unstudied. Most likely, it uses rolled up leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it sticks with its suckers. All suckers were caught close to the water. Listed in the Red Book with the status “vulnerable”.
22. Dwarf marmoset.
What kind of animal: one of the smallest primates, belongs to the broad-nosed monkeys.
Habitat: South America, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.
Special signs: The marmoset's nostrils are directed forward, and its nose is large and wide.
Dimensions: The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g.
By the way: lives well in captivity. When kept, it requires a constant temperature of 25-29 degrees, slightly higher humidity of 60%.
23. Drop fish.
What kind of animal: fish, scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus.
Habitat: lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, found in deep waters (about 2800 m) of the coasts of Australia and Tasmania.
Special signs: drop fish live at depths where the pressure is several tens of times higher than at sea level, and in order to maintain viability, the body of the drop fish consists of a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows fish to swim above the seabed without expending energy to swim.
Dimensions: the maximum body length is about 65 cm.
By the way: the lack of muscles is not a disadvantage, since the blobfish feeds on prey that swims around it.
24. Platypus.
What kind of animal: waterfowl mammal of the order Monotreme.
Habitat: Australia.
Special signs: Its most curious quality is that it has a duck’s beak instead of an ordinary mouth, allowing it to feed in the mud like birds.”
Dimensions: The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females.
By the way: The platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals; it is generally not fatal to humans, but it causes very severe pain, and swelling develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb; pain can last for many days or even months.
25. Shoebill or royal heron.
What kind of animal: bird of the order wavy.
Habitat: Africa.
Special signs: The shoebill's neck is not very long and thick. The head is large, with a small and, one might say, sloppy crest at the back of the head. The beak is massive and very wide, somewhat swollen. There is a hanging hook at the end of the beak. The shoebill's plumage is generally dark gray, with powdery down on the back, but no such down on the chest. The legs are long and black. The shoebill has a short tongue; There is no muscular stomach, but the glandular one is very large.
Dimensions: Shoebill is a large bird, in a standing position it has a height of 75-90 cm; wing length 65-69 cm.
By the way: this sluggish bird often stands completely still, holding its large beak on its chest. The shoebill feeds on various aquatic animals - fish, crocodiles, frogs and small turtles.