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Description
Common Name: Sand Walker Coot

Scientific Name: Ammosawuka mavros

Length: 38 to 45 cm from head to tail

Weight: 890 to 930 grams

Diet: Insects, other arthropods, seeds, fruit, leaves, and other vegetation

Distribution: The dunes and open desert of the New Sahara Desert in Africa

Lifespan: 10 to 20 years

Description: Coots are some of the oddest birds in the world. Despite looking like waterfowl, they are more closely related to cranes, rails, and crakes. These aquatic birds were pretty successful during the Holocene due to their geographic range and varied diet. In the Novicene, some coots took some more terrestrial niches. This change of environment was due to ducks and other waterfowl competing for the same roles. This line of terrestrial coots would lead to the evolution of the sand walker coot.
The sand walker coot is a species of coot that has almost cut its ties to the water. The coots were able to sever their connections to the water because they changed the role of their feet. In the Holocene, coots used their feet for paddling in the ponds in which they lived. Now, these coots used their feet more like snowshoes, allowing them to walk on the sand. On the dune, many invertebrates which the coot preys on have deadly toxins. So, the sand walker coot evolved a longer beak used to deal with these creatures. These birds are mainly nocturnal animals because their black and dense feathers can cause overheating. They rest in abandoned rhinoceros tortoise burrows during the day.
The burrows they rest in aren’t vacant sometimes, but this isn’t always a problem. Some reptiles, mammals, and other burrowing birds like to have sand walker coots near them. They allow them to inhabit their burrows for protection, but some reptiles like these birds for warmth. However, they will only rest with herbivorous or insectivorous animals since they won’t hurt the coot. If a carnivorous animal comes into the burrow, the coot will aggressively bite it, which may cause wounds.

Description
Common Name: Sand Walker Coot

Scientific Name: Ammosawuka mavros

Length: 38 to 45 cm from head to tail

Weight: 890 to 930 grams

Diet: Insects, other arthropods, seeds, fruit, leaves, and other vegetation

Distribution: The dunes and open desert of the New Sahara Desert in Africa

Lifespan: 10 to 20 years

Description: Coots are some of the oddest birds in the world. Despite looking like waterfowl, they are more closely related to cranes, rails, and crakes. These aquatic birds were pretty successful during the Holocene due to their geographic range and varied diet. In the Novicene, some coots took some more terrestrial niches. This change of environment was due to ducks and other waterfowl competing for the same roles. This line of terrestrial coots would lead to the evolution of the sand walker coot.
The sand walker coot is a species of coot that has almost cut its ties to the water. The coots were able to sever their connections to the water because they changed the role of their feet. In the Holocene, coots used their feet for paddling in the ponds in which they lived. Now, these coots used their feet more like snowshoes, allowing them to walk on the sand. On the dune, many invertebrates which the coot preys on have deadly toxins. So, the sand walker coot evolved a longer beak used to deal with these creatures. These birds are mainly nocturnal animals because their black and dense feathers can cause overheating. They rest in abandoned rhinoceros tortoise burrows during the day.
The burrows they rest in aren’t vacant sometimes, but this isn’t always a problem. Some reptiles, mammals, and other burrowing birds like to have sand walker coots near them. They allow them to inhabit their burrows for protection, but some reptiles like these birds for warmth. However, they will only rest with herbivorous or insectivorous animals since they won’t hurt the coot. If a carnivorous animal comes into the burrow, the coot will aggressively bite it, which may cause wounds.