There are some strange dietary specialties in the animal kingdom, but eating bones is still relatively rare. the real "bone eaters" are lammergeiers (also known as bearded vultures). These vultures have behavioral and anatomical adaptations that allow up to 90 percent bone diet.
Can vultures digest bones?
Bearded vulture stomach acid has a pH of less than 1. It is incredibly acidic and allows for rapid decomposition of bones, skin, teeth and hooves. Large bone masses usually dissolve within 24 hours [10].
What do vultures do with their bones?
Small bones can be crushed with a beak, but large, dense bones must be dropped during flight into a rocky landscape called the ossuary [4]. After that, the vulture flies to the part where the bone is broken and consumes the bone marrow. This process may be repeated multiple times for the same bone.
What kind of animals eat bones?
Not only in livestock, but also in red deer, camels, giraffes, wildebeests, antelopes, turtles, and grizzly bears. Due to differences in tooth structure, herbivores tend to chew old, fragile, dry bones, while carnivores prefer to chew soft, fresh bones.
Which bird can swallow bones?
This is the only living bird species that specializes in bone marrow feeding. Bearded vultures can swallow and chew whole fragile bones up to the size of the lamb's femur, and its powerful digestive system quickly dissolves even large pieces.
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