Skin grafts can provide lifesaving treatment for large soft-tissue wounds. That’s true for people and animals, and sometimes these grafts have interesting origins.

In 2024, a wounded adult bald eagle was found by a Good Samaritan who brought it to a veterinarian. There was no healthy skin left to close the infected, gaping wound, making euthanasia an obvious option. But because the bird could still use its claws, the veterinarian decided to try a skin graft — one from an Atlantic cod.

With the help of a company that produces cod-skin grafts for human wounds, the eagle healed in about 10 months. This was the first time cod-skin patches had been used to help a bird of prey.

Given that fish make up about 90% of an eagle’s diet, it seems Mother Nature has a sense of humor.