29 March 2024

Unlike herons, anhingas spear their prey but this means they can’t open their beaks to swallow. This video shows what they do to solve the problem.

Anhingas go by many names. Some people call them snake birds. Others call them piano birds. Regardless of the chosen label, anhingas are pretty unique little dinosaurs. They catch their prey underwater by spearing it and when they surface, they have to somehow unspear it. pic.twitter.com/JamqyJLoBE

— Mark Smith Photography (@marktakesphoto) March 23, 2024

p.s. There’s a bird in Africa that looks like an anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). Closely related, the Anhinga rufa is the “African darter.”