I forget which one but in one of his essays Stephen Gould mentions that even though vultures in North America and Africa look similar they actually evolved independently of each other–which says a lot about how important they are to the ecosystem.
Black vultures also bark like dogs. Don’t ask me why but I find this hilarious. Once walking through my neighborhood I heard “Woof!” I turned expecting to see a dog and instead there were approximately twenty vultures in a neighbor’s yard. I had to sit down and laugh.
