VULTURES Vultures are the cleanup crew of the Earth These smart scavengers find weak dying or dead animals and have themselves a meal 4
The word vulture comes from the Latin word vellere which means to pluck or tear Vultures use their sharp curved beaks to tear the flesh off dead animals They sometimes even eat the bones Nothing goes to waste around these birds of prey Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres XTREME FACT Vultures are important to the health of humans Without the raptors quick work poisons from rotting animals can get into water supplies and cause diseases such as cholera and botulism 5
SPECIES There are 23 species of vultures They are divided into New World and Old World vultures These groupings are based on where the vultures live and how they find food NEW WORLD VULTURES There are 7 species of New World vultures which include condors They live in North Central and South America They find their prey using their incredible sense of smell The king vulture Sarcoramphus papa is one of the 7 New World vulture species 6
OLD WORLD VULTURES There are 16 species of Old World vultures which include griffons and the lammergeier They live in Europe Asia and Africa They find their prey using their excellent eyesight The palm-nut vulture Gypohierax angolensis is one of the 16 Old World vulture species 7 7
