I drew a diagram like this several years ago, but today's cold weather inspired me to upgrade it to something a bit more realistic. Have you ever wondered how birds don't lose all of their body heat through their legs? 🌿🪶 #SciArt
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I took an ecology course ~40 yrs ago and the professor kind of offhandedly described countercurrent circulation in birds' legs. I don't remember anything else from that course, but that tidbit set me on the road to becoming a physiologist.
In well-below freezing temps I wonder how my chickens’ feet don’t freeze. Now I know! They do other things to keep warm, but this physiological info explains a lot. Thank you!! 😊 🐓
We were wondering about this just today! That explanation & illustration is super clear, thank you! Is it more efficient in wading birds? Just thinking that in air heat exchange is less effective than in water, so maybe wading birds have this supercharged somehow.
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Excellent illustration!
#science
#birds
#sciencecommuncication
This is great. It fills in all the blanks.
https://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/book/why-dont-penguins-feet-freeze/