Wollaston Daily Photo

SEAGULL
Seagulls drink both fresh and salt water. Most animals are unable to do this, but gulls have a special pair of glands right above their eyes, designed to flush the salt from their systems through openings in the bill. Seagulls live anywhere from 5 to 15 years depending on their environment and predators. Some have been known to live over 25 years. Gulls are literal garbage cans and will eat just about anything. You'll see them dropping clams in flight to crack them open, probably the healthiest thing they eat! They're protective of their young; at about six months you'll see young gulls flying with the adults. They're slightly smaller, with a more mottled coloring. Seagulls usually live offshore on uninhabited islands; you can find them in abandoned barns, large buildings, dumping grounds, sea cliffs, and other remote areas. Gulls are known to live many miles away from where you see them during the day.