![[duck bill]](d119a.jpg) |
Duckbills sported elaborate, usually hollow, crests on their skulls. The crests sometimes served as resonating chambers, and they could have functioned as aids to species recognition.
Duckbills' common name derives from the shape of their snouts. Their jaws' flattened front area is toothless, but the long rear portion contains multiple rows of teeth, sometimes as many as 700. This large shearing surface allowed them to eat much tougher plants than most other animals could. While this was a distinct advantage, duckbills' lack of armor made them easy prey for big flesh-eaters.
Courtesy of the National Museum of Natural History
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