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Blue-footed booby in the Galápagos Islands
Fishies beware
Its name and appearance may seem a bit silly, but when it comes to angling, this stocky seabird means serious business. When a soaring blue-footed booby spots a school of tasty fish from as high as 90 metres, it swoops into a plummeting nosedive before slamming the water's surface at 95 kilometres per hour. Even deep swimmers aren't safe as boobies are able to dive around 25 metres to scoop their squirming prey, whose nutrients help pigment the birds' bright blue dancing shoes.
Fishies beware
Its name and appearance may seem a bit silly, but when it comes to angling, this stocky seabird means serious business. When a soaring blue-footed booby spots a school of tasty fish from as high as 90 metres, it swoops into a plummeting nosedive before slamming the water's surface at 95 kilometres per hour. Even deep swimmers aren't safe as boobies are able to dive around 25 metres to scoop their squirming prey, whose nutrients help pigment the birds' bright blue dancing shoes.
This seabird's name and appearance inspires laughter – and presumably terror, if you're a fish.
© Satheesh Rajh Rajagopalan / iStock / Getty Images Plus 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :