Pink-Eared Duck (Dead) - Malachorhynchus membranaceus

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Pink-Eared Duck (Dead) - Malachorhynchus membranaceus

[Public Domain] 21 Jan 2006 Dylan O'Donnell
CATEGORY : Species
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Australia’s Pink-Eard duck is the only living member of the Malacorhynchus genus, its other relatives having since become extinct. An unmistakable bird with distinct markings and zebra-like striations, the Pink-Eared duck has a particularly evolved bill whose spade-like shape and extremely fine ”teeth” (which aren’t teeth at all) that filter small organisms and crustaceans from plankton and algae.

In this photo of a pink eared corpse that appears to have died without evidence of foul play (no pun intended) by a private wetland in victoria, the fine adaptations of the bill are clearly visible.

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