Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Lammergeier: Gypaetus barbatus

Another vulture, a cousin of the Egyptian vulture, only this one eats bone instead of carrion. How awesome is that?


The Lammergeier is an old world vulture with feathers on its head. 1) it lives at high altitudes and has to stay warm, and 2) doesn't eat meat so sanitation isn't the issue that it might be for other vultures.

The Lammergeier looks for other vultures and then waits for them to finish before swooping in to take the bones. If they can't swallow them whole, they fly with them and drop them until they break. It can take a young Lammergeier years to learn exactly how to break the bones.

The vulture's digestive system is really acidic, allowing it to dissolve the bone and take advantage of the marrow.

Check this out: