For other uses, see Gannet (disambiguation)

Gannet
Morus bassanus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Sulidae Genus: Morus Linnaeus, 1753
Species
Morus bassanus Morus capensis Morus serrator
Synonyms
Moris Gannet may refer to A seabird, see Gannet A British naval aircraft of the Cold War, see Fairey Gannet Several British warships, see HMS Gannet This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x1981, 290 KB) Morus bassanus, Northern gannet (de: Basstölpel), picture taken at bird colony of Helgoland, North sea, German bight, May 2002, by Michael Haferkamp Source: self made File links The following pages link to this file: Northern Gannet ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus or Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Families Fregatidae Pelecanidae Sulidae Phalacrocoracidae Anhingidae Phaethontidae For prehistoric families, see article text. ... Genera Morus Sula Papasula The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus or Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Morus capensis (Lichtenstein, 1823) The Cape Gannet (Morus capensis, originally Sula capensis) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Morus serrator Gray, 1843 The Australian Gannet (Morus serrator or Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ...

Gannets are seabirds in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies. Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ... Genera Morus Sula Papasula The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. ... Species Sula nebouxii Sula variegata Sula dactylatra Sula granti Sula sula Sula leucogaster For fossil species, see text The boobies are part of the family Sulidae, a group of seabirds closely related to gannets. ...

The gannets are large black and white birds, with long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 meters. The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa and southern Australia and New Zealand. For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Southern Africa ...

Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this: For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ...

• they have no external nostrils;
• they have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin which act like bubble-wrap, cushioning the impact with the water;
• their eyes are positioned far enough forward on their face to give them binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.

Gannets can dive from a height of 30 m, achieving speeds of 100 km/h as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds. A sheet of bubble wrap. ... Binocular vision is vision in which both eyes are used synchronously to produce a single image. ...

The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to "gannet" becoming a disapproving description of somebody who eats excessively, similar to "glutton". For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... This article is about the carnivorous mammal. ...

Mating and nesting

Gannets are colonial breeders on islands and coasts, which normally lay one chalky blue egg. It takes five years for gannets to reach maturity. First-year birds are completely black, and subsequent sub-adult plumages show increasing amounts of white.

The most important nesting ground for Northern gannets is the United Kingdom with about two thirds of the world's population. These live mainly in Scotland. The rest of the world's population is divided between Canada, Ireland, Faroe Islands and Iceland, with small numbers in France (they are often seen in the Bay of Biscay), the Channel Islands and Norway. The biggest Northern gannet colony is in the Scottish islands of St Kilda; this colony alone comprises 20% of the entire world's population. Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth is also famous for its large gannet population. This article is about the country. ... Map of the Bay of Biscay. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ... St Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: ) is an isolated archipelago situated 64 kilometres (40 mi) west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Bass Rock from North Berwick. ... The Firth of Forth from Calton Hill The Forth Bridges cross the Firth Satellite photo of the Firth and the surrounding area Map of the Firth Firth of Forth (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the estuary or firth of Scotlands River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea...

Systematics and evolution

The three gannet species are now usually placed in the genus Morus, Abbott's Booby in Papasula, and the remaining boobies in Sula, but some authorities consider that all nine sulid species should be considered congeneric, in Sula. At one time, the gannets were considered to be a single species. The hierarchy of scientific classification. ... Binomial name Papasula abbotti Ridgway, 1893 The Abbott’s Booby (Papasula abbotti) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Species Papasula    Papasula abbotti or Sula abbotti Sula    Sula nebouxii    Sula variegata    Sula dactylatra    Sula sula    Sula leucogaster † See also Gannet The boobies are part of the family Sulidae. ... Species Papasula    Papasula abbotti or Sula abbotti Sula    Sula nebouxii    Sula variegata    Sula dactylatra    Sula sula    Sula leucogaster † See also Gannet The boobies are part of the family Sulidae. ...

• Northern Gannet, (also known as "Solan Goose"), Morus bassanus
• Cape Gannet, Morus capensis
• Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator

Most fossil gannets are from the Late Miocene or Pliocene, a time when the diversity of seabirds in general was much higher than today. It is not completely clear what caused the decline in species at the end of the Pleistocene; increased competition due to the spread of marine mammals and/or supernova activity which led to mass extinctions of marine life are usually assumed to have played a role. Binomial name Morus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 Northern Gannet range The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Morus capensis (Lichtenstein, 1823) The Cape Gannet (Morus capensis, originally Sula capensis) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Morus serrator Gray, 1843 The Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator or Sula bassana, also Australian Gannet) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ... A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), a member of Order Cetacea A Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), a member of infrafamily Pinnipedia A West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus), a member of Order Sirenia A pair of Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris), a member of family Mustelidae yeahh boii ♥ A marine mammal is a...

Interestingly, the genus Morus is much better documented in the fossil record than Sula, which on the other hand is more numerous today. The reasons are not clear; it might be that boobies were better-adapted or simply "lucky" to occur in the right places for dealing with the challenges of the Late Pliocene ecological change, or it could simply be that many more fossil boobies still await discovery. It is interesting to note, however, that gannets are today restricted to temperate oceans whereas boobies are also found in tropical waters, but that several of the prehistoric gannet species had a more equatorial distribution than their congeners of today. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fossil. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Fossil species of gannets are:

• Morus loxostylus (Early Miocene of EC USA) - includes M. atlanticus
• Morus olsoni (Middle Miocene of Romania)
• Morus lompocanus (Lompoc Late Miocene of Lompoc, USA)
• Morus magnus (Late Miocene of California)
• Morus peruvianus (Pisco Late Miocene of Peru)
• Morus vagabundus (Temblor Late Miocene of California)
• Morus sp. (Temblor Late Miocene of Sharktooth Hill, USA: Miller 1961) - possibly M. magnus
• Morus sp. 1 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
• Morus sp. 2 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
• Morus peninsularis (Early Pliocene)
• Del Rey Gannet, Morus reyanus (Late Pleistocene of W USA)

References

• Miller, Loye H. (1961): Birds from the Miocene of Sharktooth Hill, California. Condor 63(5): 399-402. PDF fulltext

• Olsen, M. P. (1982): Standard Book of British Birds (unexpurgated version)

The Condor is the quarterly journal of the Cooper Ornithological Society. ...

External links

• Gannet videos on the Internet Bird Collection