Pelicans are peculiar creatures. Still, nothing could have prepared Beck, who goes by beckksss on TikTok, for what this pelican would do right before her very eyes. In the most casual way possible, the large bird began to stretch their mouth in the most fascinating, if not a bit unsettling, way. Turns out, Beck is not the only one who didn’t know pelicans can do this.
After capturing this moment on camera, Beck shared it on TikTok where she’s received over 1,000 comments expressing her same level of confusion and awe. Turns out, there’s a lot of weird facts about pelicans and their bills. Many people think they store food in the pouch on their bills, but that’s not true. Instead, it’s where they hold water while catching prey. In fact, some of them can hold up to three gallons of liquid in there!
But their beaks aren’t just for food-related endeavors. Rather than having nostrils where you might imagine them, pelicans breathe through their mouths. That’s right, they breathe through hidden nostrils, made to expertly remove excess salt from their blood stream. This ability, quite literally, helps keep them alive despite how much ocean water they inhale. Who knew!?
Watch the pelican show off their unusual bill abilities in the video below.
@beckksss I was today years old when i realised pelicans do this with their mouth 🤣 #fyp #blackpoolzoo #CapCut #pelicans ♬ Hot people be using dis sound – emma_slayg
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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