Northern Gannet
Morus bassanus
Where is it found?
Sea cliffs and coastal islands
Diet and foraging method
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Dive into the ocean at speeds up to 60mph and chase after fish
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Key adaptations
Gannets have air sacs in their skull and chest that cushion the impact of diving from such great heights to catch fish.
Binocular vision allows Gannets to spot their prey from far away and internal nostrils prevent infilling with water during dives.
Binocular vision allows Gannets to spot their prey from far away and internal nostrils prevent infilling with water during dives.
Social organisation and mating system
Flock and nest in large colonies
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Monogamous pairs
Did you know that...?
Gannets are known to feed in association with dolphins and other predatory fish, which round up shoals of fish into a 'bait ball', which the gannets can then easily catch their prey from.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Morus bassanus adu" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morus_bassanus_adu.jpg#/media/File:Morus_bassanus_adu.jpg
"Tölpelperce" by Bodoklecksel at the German language Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T%C3%B6lpelperce.jpg#/media/File:T%C3%B6lpelperce.jpg
"Northern-Gannet-12" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern-Gannet-12.jpg#/media/File:Northern-Gannet-12.jpg
"Morus-bassanus" by HeJä. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morus-bassanus.JPG#/media/File:Morus-bassanus.JPG
"Faroe stamp 030 gannet". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faroe_stamp_030_gannet.jpg#/media/File:Faroe_stamp_030_gannet.jpg
"Morus bassanus adu" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morus_bassanus_adu.jpg#/media/File:Morus_bassanus_adu.jpg
"Tölpelperce" by Bodoklecksel at the German language Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T%C3%B6lpelperce.jpg#/media/File:T%C3%B6lpelperce.jpg
"Northern-Gannet-12" by Andreas Trepte - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern-Gannet-12.jpg#/media/File:Northern-Gannet-12.jpg
"Morus-bassanus" by HeJä. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morus-bassanus.JPG#/media/File:Morus-bassanus.JPG
"Faroe stamp 030 gannet". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faroe_stamp_030_gannet.jpg#/media/File:Faroe_stamp_030_gannet.jpg