Black-headed Vulture

While in Florida a couple of years back I saw a flock of vultures eating a dead alligator floating in a river. I sneaked as close as I could and was lucky to catch a few photos of one bird sticking its head into a small hole that had been picked in the body.

I thought at the time that I could never remember seeing photos of vultures eating this way and thought that I should be able to sell the photos to a textbook company. I have had them on my website for over two years, but no one has even commented on them. I am not certain that anyone has even seen them.

I suspect that the vulture's (and crows' in this part of the world) digestive systems have evolved in a way that rotten meat doesn't hurt them. Humans urge when they smell rotten meat and I am guess eating it would cause all sorts of problems.

Feel free to check out other vulture images at:http://www.lanephotography.com/birds/vultures/vultures_01.htm