#Shoebill dinosaur how to

When they’re kept in captivity, this number may go up a little bit, too. 35 years is the standard, but some may live a little less or more than this. While not as long-lived as some types of birds, shoebills can nevertheless live a long time in the wild. Fact #7: Shoebills can live to be up to 35 years old. However, male and female shoebills don’t look very different outside of these changes. They are a little bit taller and even have bigger beaks than their female counterparts. Male shoebills are usually upwards of 12 pounds, while females are about 10 or 11 pounds. The shoebill’s feet and claws look very similar to many dinosaur fossils, including two that it is believed these birds came from.įact #6: Male shoebills are bigger in weight, height, and bill size than females. This may sound like a dinosaur’s name, and there’s a very good reason for that! Like all birds, shoebills are a descendant of dinosaurs. The shoebill’s scientific name is Balaeniceps rex. Fact #5: The shoebill’s feet are like a dinosaur’s. It usually comes in at four to five times bigger than the bird’s body itself. Fact #4: A shoebill’s wingspan can be up to five times larger than its body.Īs big as a shoebill’s body is, its wingspan can be even larger. Many humans are not much taller than five feet, so shoebills are definitely large birds! They can also weigh up to about 12 pounds, making them a formidable part of the animal kingdom. Fact #3: A fully-grown shoebill is around 4 feet long and 5 feet tall. This may sound gruesome, but it’s just a normal part of life for the shoebill. Sometimes, the beaks on these birds can also be used to decapitate their prey. The shoebill, or Balaeniceps, has a very sharp beak tip that is meant for cutting their prey in half and making it easier to swallow. Shoebills inhabit swampy regions in and around the White Nile area of northeastern Africa.Fact #2: The tips of their beaks are very sharp and used to cut prey in half or decapitate them. They nest on either floating vegetation or solid mounds and lay one to three white eggs, which hatch in about 30 days.

Like herons and pelicans, shoebills fly with the head held back against the body. The shoebill claps the mandibles of its bill together as a display, producing a loud, hollow sound. The head is large in proportion to the body, and the eyes are also exceptionally large. They are entirely gray, with broad wings and long legs. Shoebills stand about 115 cm (3.8 feet) tall.

This big bird also eats turtles, fish, and young crocodiles. The species is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery lungfish, its favourite food.

Shoebill, ( Balaeniceps rex), also called shoe-billed stork or whale-headed stork, large African wading bird, a single species that constitutes the family Balaenicipitidae (order Balaenicipitiformes, Ciconiiformes, or Pelecaniformes).

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#Shoebill dinosaur how to

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