Creature Countdowns
No. 9 - Gull
| Known as the "pirates of the seashore," gulls are naturally aggressive and competitive birds. They steal food from each other, other bird species or even sea otters if given the opportunity. Because gulls cannot dive for fish, they must steal from those species that can as they bring their prey up to the surface. One of the gull's primary targets is the brown pelican, a shorebird famous for catching fish in its large throat pouch. Once the pelican snags a catch, it rises to the surface to drain water out of its bill and arrange the fish for swallowing. That's when the gull swoops in and grabs the fish straight out of the pelican's bill before it can be swallowed. |
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