Anhinga

• adaptaciónIt swims almost entirely submerged, only its neck and head above water, since its feathers are not waterproof and soak through, which reduces its buoyancy as it fishes.
• comportamientoIt spreads its wings in the sun after swimming to dry its non-waterproof plumage, a characteristic pose that may also help regulate its body temperature.
• It spears its prey: a modified cervical vertebra acts as a spring and shoots the bill forward in a fraction of a second, running the fish through; the bird then shakes it off the bill and swallows it head first.
• Its plumage is not waterproof, which reduces buoyancy and makes diving easier, but forces it to spend hours with its wings spread in the sun to dry: without that, it cannot fly.
• It swims with its body submerged and only its sinuous neck out of the water, a silhouette that has earned it the name snakebird in almost every language of its range.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Slow fresh water with vegetation: swamps, mangroves, lagoons and rivers of tropical and subtropical America

Sexual maturity

2 years

Gestation / incubation

28 days

Litter / clutch size

4

Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.