Total Pageviews

Monday, May 24, 2010

Pink Flamingos

Pink Flamingos at Sea World... I was wondering why they often stand on one leg...This is off the net...
While some of the mystery still remains, people who study flamingos have given us many possible reasons why the birds stand on one leg. First, it allows the raised leg and foot to dry. When you are in the bathtub for a long time, your skin starts to "prune up" and wrinkle. The same thing can happen to the webbed feet of the flamingo. By changing which leg they stand on, flamingos can allow their feet and legs to dry. Second, standing on one leg helps them hunt their food better because their shadow looks more like a tree when they stand on one foot. You don’t see too many trees with two long trunks, do you?
But probably the most important reason flamingos stand on one leg is to conserve body heat and energy. A bird’s leg receives three times as much blood per heartbeat as their major muscles do, and that blood provides a great deal of warmth to the animal. Flamingos have very long legs, which provide a great deal of surface area for the loss of heat.
It is only supposed to reach 81 degrees today....A cool spell.. Kenzie has 2 1/2 more days of school after today....I promised her lunch from Arbys today.



Posted by Picasa

1 comment:

Galla Creek said...

Oh, the birds are so pretty...I stole the photo of them.