Another of my latest 3D digital birds from the upcoming "Shorebirds v5: Storks of the World" set. Snails in the scene of from my New World Hawks set. The African Openbill Stork is found south of the Sahara desert and Madagascar. It is an intra-African trans-equatorial migrant, making movements that are triggered by the rains. It eats mostly aquatic snails and has an unique lower bill which has a curved gap. This gap was first hypothesized to serve as a nutcracker, crushing the shells of the snails this stork feeds on. Scientists later demonstrated that the bill does not serve this function. Rather the opening between the two mandibles facilitates grasping the shells of the snails. The convergent tips of the mandibles prevent the slipping forward of a spherical object being carried by the storks. The curve in the lower mandible allows the stork to have the perfect angle of attack to force its way under the operculum and release the mollusks from their shells. The bill of the African openbill storks closely evolved with the bird's specialized diet, allowing for the perfect handling of snails and other mollusks.