You can see the fish clearly in the first picture, above.
In the next picture, you can see the fish's tail fins sticking out of the pelican's bill. The rest of the fish can be seen in silhouette through the opaque bill. (Notice the refraction!)
The pelican began tipping its head back in an effort to swallow it. Look at the amazing detail of the blood vessels in the bill!
As he tips his head back a little further, you can still see the fish silhouetted in the bottom of the pelican's bill. You can even see the fish's tail fins!
I wonder how the pelicans avoid having the flexible material of their bills torn by the sharp fins of the fish they eat?
The pelican tried to get the fish headed down its gullet, but it took three or four tries of trying to throw it back down its throat before he managed it. It was quite the display.
Amazing series! That looks like a huge fish in there and you can see it real clearly! So the pelican really eventually swallowed down that entire fish?? Was the fish desperately flapping/wriggling about in the birds pouch and even as it was going down?!
ReplyDeleteDear Unknown, thank you for your comment and question! The pelican was moving its head so much that it was hard to follow whether the fish was flapping around. I think it must have at first but can't say for sure. Thank you for stopping by the blog!
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