birds

ff the coast of South Africa, Cape Gannets spot their targets from the air and dive like a squadron of bombers to pursue their prey. A Cape Gannet can snap up a fish before it realizes it's even being chased. Photographer Alexander Safonov is astounded as he watches these amazing birds dive 25 feet (8 meters) underwater to catch a meal from a school of sardines.

The crouched stance developed to compensate for the growth of larger forelimbs that eventually made flight possible, according to new research that digitally "fleshed out" fossils to show physical changes over the eons as bipedal dinosaurs evolved into birds.