B. Rex Skull Replica or Shoebill measures 11 inches. Shoebill Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw).
The B. Rex or Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) also known as the whalebill, whale-headed stork, and shoe-billed stork is a large long-legged wading bird.
It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill. It has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified with the storks in the order Ciconiiformes based on this morphology.
Genetic evidence places it with pelicans and herons in the Pelecaniformes. The B. Rex or Shoebill adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are more brown. It lives in tropical East Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.
The Shoebill is a tall bird, with a typical height range of 43 to 55 in. and some specimens reaching as much as 60 in. Length from tail to beak can range from 39 to 55 in. and wingspan is 7 ft 7 in to 8 ft 6 in. Weight has reportedly ranged from 8.8 to 15.4 lb.
The signature feature of the B. Rex or Shoebill species is its huge, bulbous bill, which is straw-colored with erratic greyish markings.
The exposed culmen (or the measurement along the top of the upper mandible) is 7.4 to 9.4 in., the third longest bill among extant birds after pelicans and large storks.
As in the pelicans, the upper mandible is strongly keeled, ending in a sharp nail. The dark colored legs are fairly long, with a tarsus length of 8.5 to 10.0 in.
The B. Rex or Shoebill’s feet are exceptionally large, with the middle toe reaching 6.6 to 7.3 in. in length, likely assisting the species in its ability to stand on aquatic vegetation while hunting.
The neck is relatively shorter and thicker than other long-legged wading birds such as herons and cranes. The wings are broad, with a wing chord length of 23.1 to 30.7 in., and well-adapted to soaring.
