Eastern Cape Scuba Diving

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Scientific name:

Morus capensis

Common name:

Cape gannet

Taxonomy

Phyulm	Sub Phylum	Class	Sub Class	Order	Sub Order	Family	Sub Family	Genus	Species
Chordata	Vertebrata	Aves	Neornithes	Pelecaniformes	Ciconii	Sulidae	Larinae	Morus	Morus capensis

Short Description:

They are easily identified by their large size, black and white plumage and distinctive yellow crown and hindneck. The pale blue bill is pointed with fine serrations near the tip; perhaps because of the depth and speed of the gannet's dive when fishing.When seen in flight the snow-white body with the black tail, primaries and secondaries, and dark bill makes then easy to identify. At closer range the distinctive golden crown and nape, which gradually become white on the neck, are noticeable. On the other hand, the dark brown juveniles look completely black when seen in flight

Identification features:
Size:	Adults are about 84–94 cm long and have a 171–185 cm wingspan and weigh 2600 g .
Behaviour:	Gannets hit the water at speeds of between 40 and 120 kilometers per hour, its beak has no external nostrils into which the water might be forced.
Distribution:	Troughout Southern Afirca
Diet:	Cape Gannets are powerful fliers, using mainly a flap-gliding technique, which is more energy consuming than the dynamic-soaring favoured by albatrosses. As all Sulids, they are fish-eating birds that plunge-dive from considerable height.
Habitat:	The breeding range of Cape Gannet is restricted to southern Africa in three islands off Namibia and three islands off South Africa.
Reference:	Two Oceans (A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa) GM Branch;CL Griffiths;ML Branch;LE Beckley Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia www.wikipedia.org/
Similar Species:	None on database

Database Statistics
(Click on the links for more information)

Photographer	Date	City	Area	Dive site	Temp	Size	Depth	Camera	Photo	Video
Lloyd Edwards-(Port Elizabeth)	2010-02-18	Port Elizabeth	Coega	(PE)-St Croix Island	18	900mm	0m	Nikon D200	photo
Lloyd Edwards-(Port Elizabeth)	2010-05-08	Port Elizabeth	Algoa Bay	(PE-AB)-Bird Island	18	900mm	0m	Nikon D200	photo
Lloyd Edwards-(Port Elizabeth)	2008-11-13	Port Elizabeth	Coega	(PE)-St Croix Island	18	700mm	0m	Nikon D200	photo

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