That’s what I was talking about! Pretty nifty, isn’t it?
People think of birds as cute little chirpy things, but there are so many of them. They’re all modern dinosaurs with all the ferocity of the originals, plus 65 million years of updates! If you search my “Owl-natomy” posts you can read about all the super powers owls and some other birds have.
I have heard of animals that need to exert force to undo grips, and similar to the opposite of what humans do with our tendons! \
Great to learn that owls are one of them!
Owl tendons are also arranged in a way that they are tensed when the bird is relaxed. This is the opposite of how our hands work. To grip tighter, we need to exert more and more force, but the owl just has to use energy to release its grip. This allows them to exert maximum force holding onto prey with minimal effort. It is also what lets them stay gripped to their perch when they sleep without falling off. They must consciously let go to relax their grip.
Most birds have a ridge on their talons that aid in this, but the Barn Owls have evolved serrations that look and act like a comb.
That’s what I was talking about! Pretty nifty, isn’t it?
People think of birds as cute little chirpy things, but there are so many of them. They’re all modern dinosaurs with all the ferocity of the originals, plus 65 million years of updates! If you search my “Owl-natomy” posts you can read about all the super powers owls and some other birds have.
Awesome, I saw the Feet and Talons post!
I have heard of animals that need to exert force to undo grips, and similar to the opposite of what humans do with our tendons! \
Great to learn that owls are one of them!