George McGavin on the Gannet
Entomologist George McGavin describes finding a gannet skull on a beach as a child.
An episode of the Tweet of the Day podcast, hosted by BBC Radio 4, titled "George McGavin on the Gannet" was published on February 1, 2026 and runs 1 minutes.
February 1, 2026 ·1m · Tweet of the Day
Summary
As a child, the entomologist George McGavin found a dead gannet on the beach, and set about extracting the skull for his collection. He was fascinated to discover the hundreds of pointed barbs in its mouth. Now years later he marvels at this clever bit of evolution which prevents fish falling out of gannets' beaks as they dive into the water then become airborne again.Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Episode Description
As a child, the entomologist George McGavin found a dead gannet on the beach, and set about extracting the skull for his collection. He was fascinated to discover the hundreds of pointed barbs in its mouth. Now years later he marvels at this clever bit of evolution which prevents fish falling out of gannets' beaks as they dive into the water then become airborne again.
Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.