![]() ![]() ![]() But even just to suggest such a thing is an indication of how successful these birds can be. Baby red lechwe only weigh a few kilograms, and they may end up wading straight into a shoebill trap.ĭo note that these shoebill versus red lechwe reports are unconfirmed. They will use the water to stay clear of predators. Shoebills have also been known to hunt and kill red lechwe, a semi-aquatic antelope that lives in the swamps of Botswana and Zambia.įully-grown red lechwe weigh over 100 kg. A baby Nile crocodile isn’t even a challenge for these hunting birds. The remarkable thing is that crocodiles aren’t even the largest of their prey. Shoebill stork eating crocodile? While hard to believe, it is true. Shoebill Eating Crocodile? Yes, It’s True With a wingspan of over 2 ½ meters, the shoebill can fly effortlessly across the African skies, although it doesn’t tend to fly very far. Swans are scary enough, and they don’t have a razor-like beak. Males hit the scales at a solid 5-6 kg, with the biggest individuals coming in at over 7 kg (15 lb).įemales are only slightly smaller, and really, a bird that big is always going to be unpredictable. Measure from the bill to the beak and that’s also a good 1.3 meters. Shoebills measure over a meter in height, and most mature specimens reach 1.3 meters. Shoebill Stork Size (They’re Enormous)īefore questioning the crocodile diet you need to understand just how big these birds are. Interested in learning about another not-so-pretty bird?Ĭheck out these interesting facts about the marabou stork. To learn more about the shoebill, here are 17 amazing facts. This is probably the most bizarre bird in the world. They also look like some kind of prehistoric leftover, with a jagged shoe-shaped bill that seems to come from fiction. Not only that, shoebills make a noise that sounds like a machine gun on auto fire. Yep, it is true that this African bird hunts crocodiles, along with other animals like snakes and monitor lizards. It is unlikely that this bird will be able to integrate fully back into the wild, but in its own small way Russik is contributing to raising awareness about the rare shoebill.The shoebill is so badass that it eats crocodiles. ![]() Communities are gradually realising that they share the swamps with a very special species. Russik plays a crucial role in raising awareness about wildlife in the local communities and is seen by passers-by daily. Russik has completely imprinted on humans, as it was taken from the nest from a very young age, but despite this it has adapted very quickly to life in the park. ZAWA’s Investigations and Intelligence Unit (IIU) confiscated Russik from the illegal wildlife trade and a year later it was brought to Bangweulu. Raising and releasing Seymour was a success, without a doubt, and the park expects that it will find a mate and breed successfully Seymour has adapted to life in the wild and most recently made an exploratory trip, leaving the swamps and flying downstream to the DRC side of the border and has subsequently returned and settled around Shoebill Island Camp. During Christmas 2014, Seymour was released back into the wild, with a transmitter fitted in order to ensure that the park has the ability to monitor and track it. Human-contact with Seymour was minimal to prevent imprinting, and resulted in the caretaker wearing a shoebill costume. In order to ensure shoebill nests are safe, Bangweulu employs local fisherman as "shoebill guards", to ensure chicks can fledge without human interference. The fisherman had heard that people were planning to steal the chick from its nest. Seymour, a shoebill chick, was brought to Bangweulu Wetlands by a concerned local community member. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |