Prehensile - Tumblr Posts

Glaucous-winged Gulls are notable for their peculiar symbiotic relationship with any of several species of sea star. Rather than simply devour the star, these gulls will store them in an organ called a ‘crop' where it will feed on small amounts of undigested food in return for occasional use as a sort of ‘mouth hand’. This gives the host gull a stronger grip on heavier food items, allowing it to take things as unwieldy as a foot-long hotdog or a large container of french fries.