{"id":40847,"date":"2025-10-07T10:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T07:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=40847"},"modified":"2025-10-07T10:05:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T07:05:36","slug":"an-x-ray-reveals-how-bearded-vultures-can-swallow-long-bones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/es\/blog\/an-x-ray-reveals-how-bearded-vultures-can-swallow-long-bones\/","title":{"rendered":"An X-ray reveals how Bearded Vultures can swallow long bones\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered how Bearded Vultures (Gypaetus barbatus<\/em>)<\/a> fit long bones inside their bodies? Thanks to a recent X-ray, we can now see it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Vallcalent Bearded Vulture Breeding Unit<\/strong><\/a>, our team recently captured something extraordinary \u2014 an X-ray showing a whole rabbit leg inside a Bearded Vulture\u2019s stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bird, a young female named Gypaillete (BG1194), was being examined by vet Judit Navarro and the whole team got a surprise from an X-ray: the perfectly visible outline of an entire rabbit leg, toes and all, inside her stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s an amusing twist \u2014 Gypaillete actually stole the bone from her mate, Marco, who had already eaten the meat. Marco wasn\u2019t too pleased about the theft, but there wasn\u2019t much he could do \u2014 after all, females rule in the Bearded Vulture world! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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X-ray of a Bearded Vulture Gypaillete with a long rabbit leg inside her stomach \u00a9 Carmen Calero\/ Vallcalent Specialised Breeding Unit  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The only bird that eats bones whole <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bearded Vultures are the only animals in the world that can swallow and digest large bones, easily 20 centimetres long and bigger. Their stomach acids are incredibly strong \u2014 much more acidic than in other birds of prey \u2014 and their digestive system is so elastic that it can accommodate surprisingly large pieces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wild, they often drop bones onto rocks to break them into smaller pieces, but in captivity, where aviaries are smaller, this could be dangerous. Instead, keepers help by smashing long bones before feeding. Even so, many vultures \u2014 like Gypaillete \u2014 still manage to swallow impressive pieces whole! We know from camera footage that Gypaillete ate the leg two hours before the X-ray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the video of Gypaillete first stealing the bone from Marco and then swallowing it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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