- published: 02 Feb 2011
- views: 1097752
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of some 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed. There is no consistent distinction between "cormorants" and "shags", and these appellations have been assigned to different species randomly.
Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large birds, with body weight in the range of 0.35–5 kilograms (0.77–11.02 lb) and wing span of 45–100 centimetres (18–39 in). The majority of species have dark feathers. The bill is long, thin and hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes. All species are fish-eaters, catching the prey by diving from the surface. They are excellent divers, and under water they propel themselves with their feet with help from their wings; some cormorant species have been found to dive as deep as 45 metres. They have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any bird.
Last night, I watched the moon drink the tides
'Til a whale rose from the hole in the sea.
She breathed in the clouds like an opium ride,
Smiled, and devoured me.
My flesh had melted when my mind awoke
To feel her tail tear open the sky.
Fins punctured cities, bled sulfur and smoke;
I wept as the last scream died.
She spat my soul onto a planet of dust.
My thoughts dissolved into the grain.
Whale became woman, the sun gazed with lust;
He took her, and fathered the rain.
From this coupling my shell grew green.
Rainforests sprung from my skin and soil.
Mountains spawned cells, apes & All-In-Between,
And I understood.
I am this mortal coil.