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].
Can vultures break their bones?
Bearded vultures break bones that are too large to swallow by carrying bones in flight to a height of 50-150 m (160-490 feet) above the ground and then dropping them onto the rocks below. I learned that. A small fragment exposes the nutritious bone marrow.
What does a vulture do to 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.
Do vultures eat bones?
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.
How do bearded vultures eat bones?
Bearded vultures are the only animals that eat bones almost exclusively (70-90%). On Crete, it is known as the "bone eater." Birds throw large bones from height to rocky slopes, breaking them, and quickly descending into a characteristic spiral.
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