European shag
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The European shag or common shag is a species of cormorant. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Gulosus. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and n
Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
Shag in flight
Composite image of the bird jumping into the sea in Malinska, Croatia
G. aristotelis diving
Benthic zone
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The benthic zone, from Ancient Greek βένθος 'the depths of the ocean', is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, such as a stream, river, lake, or ocean, including the sediment
European shag
…deepest divers among the cormorant family. Using depth gauges, European shags recorded diving up to 61 m (200 ft) deep. European shags are preponderantly benthic zone feeders, i.e. they find their prey on the sea bottom. They will eat a wide range of fish but their commonest prey is the sand eel. Shags will travel…
Benthos (organisms that live at the ocean floor) can be contrasted with neuston (organisms that live at the ocean surface) plankton (organisms that drift with water currents) and nekton (organisms that can swim against water currents)
Photomicrograph of typical benthic animals, including (from top to bottom) amphipods, a polychaete worm, a snail, and a chironomous midge larva
Seagrass
Echinoderms