What Bird has the Most Feathers:
The Whistling Swan, Cygnus columbianus. In winter it can have as many as 25000.
Did you know that antlers are made of bone? They grow rapidly because they are nourished by a thing called "Velvet"- which is a velvety growth which has a patchwork of blood vessels that feed it. When the season for growth is over the blood flow is cut off at the base of the antler and the velvet is shed. In addition the antlers and their size are an indication of the bucks health because they need so much calcium and food resources in order to support such a system of antlers, the bigger the healthier. They shed them because there's no way they could survive winter having to support both their bodies and their racks.
5 comments:
fascinating.
women don't get to shed their rack to support their bodies during the winter, what's up with that? males are wimps.
Seems the forest should be nearly impassable for all the shed racks.
I wonder who counted all the feathers. That's a lot. Then when there's a pile and achoo. oh dear, one, two,three....
I wonder if it hurts to shed the rack, carrying it around half dead and stuff before it drops. Weirdness.
PEEL-a-Meal
Every year, most male deer grow antlers covered in velvet--soft skin with lots of blood vessels. When the antlers stop growing, the velvet dies. Then the deer rub it off and, sometimes, gobble it down (right). Later, they shed their bony antlers. And the antlers become another weird food. Gnawing animals such as rabbits, squirrels, and porcupines get calcium from the antlers. The calcium helps them grow strong bones and teeth.
My banjo is decorated with deer antler (little tiny slices).
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