Crocodile bulks of swallowed prey flesh and bone. Many large crocodilians swallow stones (called gastroliths or stomach stones), which may act as ballast to balance their bodies or assist in crushing food, similar to grit ingested by birds. Herodotus claimed that Nile crocodiles had a symbiotic relationship with certain birds, such as the Egyptian plover, which enter the crocodile's mouth and pick leeches feeding on the crocodile's blood; with no evidence of this interaction actually occurring in any crocodile species, it is most likely mythical or allegorical fiction. Since they feed by grabbing and holding onto their prey, they have evolved
Shore plover Shore plover The shore plover ("Thinornis novaeseelandiae"), also known as the shore dotterel or by its Māori name of tuturuatu, is a small plover endemic to New Zealand. Once found all around the New Zealand coast, it is now restricted to a few offshore islands. It is one of the world's rarest shorebirds: the population is roughly 200. Initially classified in the common plover genus "Charadrius", the shore plover is currently placed in "Thinornis" along with one other species, the hooded plover ("T. cucullatus"). "Thinornis rossii," supposedly from the Auckland Islands, is now generally considered to be a juvenile shore