Prehistoric looking creatures
It may be a 'plain, old cormorant' to some, but to me, I think these birds are truly wonderful. They can dive up to 60 metres and hold their breath for 70 seconds diving for fish. The reason they can dive so deep is because, unlike other birds which have oil glands, this bird does not possess the oil glands to make its feathers repel water, therefore, when it dives the water is absorbed into its feathers making it heavier and thus being able to dive deeper. The downfall of this adaptation is that after a period of dives, if they are not careful they can get too heavy and sink, so they must come out of the water to dry out, which is why you often see these birds holding their wings out in the sun to dry out.
