This exhibit is dedicated to the shallow water habitat, such as the seashores, lakeshores, or riverbanks.

Aquatic habitats are divided into strips, based on the depth of the water. Each’s bird’s body structure is suited to the strip of water where it lives: the length of its legs, shape of its webbed feet, and length of its bill. The Tringa and the Charadrius standing on the right find their food in shallow water, so their legs are relatively short and suited for walking in mud. In contrast, the Ardeinae, with their long legs, can stand in deeper water. The ducks on the left are adapted to swimming in deep waters, so they have webbed feet that are very similar to the rubber diving fins of a scuba diver. This is an example of biomimicry, which means - copying patents from nature. Ducks have a bill that is built like a filter, which they use to filter plankton from the water. Plankton are a collection of organisms that live in water and they are very important, because they are the basis of the entire aquatic food chain.

And what is this young crocodile doing here? Actually, Nile crocodiles lived in Israel too, until the beginning of the twentieth century. The last crocodile living in nature was hunted in 1912 in Taninim River, near Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael. Today, Nile crocodiles only exist in Israel in private farms.

Crocodiles are considered an ancient group of reptiles that existed back in the days of the dinosaurs, in the Jurassic period. The lifespan of a crocodile in nature is between 70 and 100 years. Notice the location of its ears, eyes, and nostrils: they protrude above its head and enable it to see, hear, and breathe while it is still underwater, without being discovered. In this way, it can surprise its prey.