This pelican was opening its large throat pouch wide to catch the fish being thrown during feeding time at the zoo. Other times when feeding, a pelican dives under water and the pouch opens, functioning like a net, filling with water and hopefully fish. After draining the water, the pelican throws up its head and gulps down the fish.
After watching fishermen trying the same principle this holiday - it strikes me as a very labour intensive way to catch fish. Still, it must work for the pelicans otherwise they would have developed an alternative technique. What a great illustration of that immense inbuilt net on the pelican.
November 26th, 2016
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