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Shoebill Stork - the most ferocious bird in the world, eats even crocodiles
Shoebill Stork - the most ferocious bird in the world, eats even crocodiles
Shoebills are creatures of strange appearance and incredible strength.
Shoebills live mainly in African swamps, have a strange appearance with many characteristics similar to prehistoric creatures, and are said to resemble dinosaurs.
This creature has an average height of about 1.4 m. It has a large, thick and long beak of about 17-20 cm, which looks quite similar to the traditional clogs in the Netherlands. In particular, this beak has a very strong bite force, helping the shoebill to hunt effectively. Photo: Just Birding.Shoebills are descended from a group of carnivorous dinosaurs called the Theropoda - the same group as T-Rex but descended from a much smaller dinosaur. Over time, their sharp-toothed mouths evolved into large beaks. Photo: Alamy.
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Although called storks, shoebills tend to resemble pelicans more - especially in their aggressive hunting methods. Photo: Just Birding.The large beak of the shoebill is an effective hunting weapon, even helping the shoebill kill crocodiles, but only baby crocodiles. Crocodile skin is very thick but is like a tough doughnut to the shoebill, just need to bite hard enough to tear it. The shoebill's main food is frogs, reptiles and lungfish. Photo: Reddit.The shoebill's beak has many other uses, such as attracting mates, warding off predators, and also being a tool to scoop up water to help the stork quench its thirst under the harsh African sun. Photo: Audobonva.Shoebills are very patient, they often stand still for long periods of time to stalk their prey. When their prey is careless, they will collapse like a statue and stab their prey with their beak. Before swallowing, they often use their beak to chop their prey into small pieces with 2-3 stabs. Photo: IVM.Shoebills are solitary animals, with partners only coming together to mate, build nesting areas and incubate eggs. Females lay 1 to 3 eggs, which hatch after about 30 days of incubation. Photo: Ebird.Despite being a fearsome predator in the wild, the total population does not exceed 20,000 in the wild or in zoos. Therefore, the shoebill is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Book.