WEBVTT - What are the Secrets of the World’s Largest Birds? 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.200 Guess what gave? What's that? So I read this great 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:07.720 story in Scientific American. It's called Saving California Condors with 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:11.080 a chisel and hand puppets. So it has to be 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:12.840 one of the greatest titles I've read in a while. 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:16.800 But are you familiar with these birds? I mean, I 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:20.400 know they're huge birds, and I think they're in danger too, 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:22.640 aren't they. Yeah, that's right. So they were close to 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:25.279 extinction a few decades ago. I think the count was 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:27.880 down to just over twenty birds in the early eighties, 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:31.639 and that's actually when the Oregon Zoo stepped in. So 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.080 one of the strange things about condor eggs is that 0:00:34.159 --> 0:00:36.760 sometimes the chicks aren't actually strong enough to break out 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:40.159 of the shells. So the caretakers at the zoo like 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.680 they stand by ready with a chisel to help them 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.839 break out. And in fact, it worked so well that 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.840 the zoo is now raised more than seventy condor chicks. 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:51.760 That's awesome. But what do they do then? Do they 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:54.640 release them into the wild? Yeah, but if the chicks 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:57.120 are raised in captivity without their parents, the minders have 0:00:57.200 --> 0:00:59.840 to be really careful about how they feed them, because 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:01.480 you know, they don't want these birds to be too 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:04.720 trusting of humans, so they have these hand puppets made 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.520 to look like condors, and that's what they used to 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:12.080 feed the little hatchlings. But reading that story made me think, 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:13.920 you know, maybe it's time to do an episode on 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:16.800 some of the world's largest birds and also all the 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:41.119 secrets we definitely don't know about them, So let's dive in. Hey, 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:43.520 their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm mongo 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:47.119 Iss Articula and my good pal Will Pearson's on vacation today. 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:50.080 But I am so thrilled because I get to hang 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.200 out with the wonderful Gabe Luisier, who's on the line 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:55.960 with me. Hey, Gabe, how's it going. Hey, it's going well. 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:57.840 Thanks for having me. It's great to have you, gave 0:01:57.960 --> 0:01:59.960 And on the other side of the soundproof glass car 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.160 having into the biggest, fattest turkey I've seen this side 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:06.680 of Thanksgiving. That's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. And 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:09.680 I've got to say, while Tristan's on theme as usual, 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:12.160 it does feel a little weird to watch him chow 0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:16.480 down on a bird while we're also talking about birds. Yeah, 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:18.960 I mean, I was hoping we'd get to see Tristan 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:21.799 in like a big bird costume today, or maybe find 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:26.000 out that he's secretly been taking falconry classes or something. Well, 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.320 we should put that in the suggestion box for next time, 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:32.240 I think. But today's episode is all about the world's 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:37.040 largest birds. Yeah, that's right. We scoured the skies to 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:40.079 find the most oversized birds out there, and now it's 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:43.840 time to spill all their juicy secrets, like how have 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.800 large birds adapted for survival and how they got so 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.120 big in the first place. But you know, a mango, 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.160 I'm curious, where do you want to start with this one? 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:53.880 So I thought I kicked things off with a nice, 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.600 feel good story about one of the world's largest birds, 0:02:56.760 --> 0:03:01.000 which is the wandering albatross. And this species of albatross 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:03.600 is big by just about any measure. Their bodies are 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:05.680 about three and a half feet from bill to tail. 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:09.680 They weigh twenty some pounds on average. But without a doubt, 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.600 their biggest and most striking feature has to be their 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:16.639 enormous wingspan. Because you know, I'm sure you probably know this. 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:20.280 Wandering albatrosses have the largest wingspan of any living bird. 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:23.680 It's between eleven and twelve feet from tip to tip, 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:26.919 and with wings that big, you know, these birds are 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:30.560 obviously built for flight. They've actually been known to circumnavigate 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:33.320 the Southern Ocean up to three times in a single year, 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:35.960 and one bird in particular is known to have traveled 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:39.120 nearly four thousand miles in just twelve days, which is 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.320 so impressive of course, but like, what's their secret for 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:44.960 covering that kind of distance? Because you have to think 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:47.400 that flapping a pair of twelve foot wings must take 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:50.040 an awful lot of energy. Yeah, there's really no way 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.440 an albatross could do that by flapping like they'd be 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:56.680 exhausted within an hour tops. Instead, albatross has actually used 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:59.960 this method called dynamics soaring, and it allows them to 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.640 a glide across these incredible distances without needing to flap 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:06.440 their wings. And this works because the birds have this 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:09.280 special tendon in each of their shoulders that helps lock 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:13.360 their wings into place. It's kind of a birdie cruise control, 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:17.039 and once their wings are locked into position, albatross is 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:20.159 simply glide along, swooping as needed to catch the wind 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:24.279 and gradually rise back up. That's really cool, but I 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:27.240 mean they never have to stop and take a rest 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.240 or anything. No, not really. I mean it's hard to 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:33.039 walk on land with that twelve foot wingspan. So apart 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.200 from mating season, wandering albatrosses tend to stick to the 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.320 air as much as possible. And there is one exception though, 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.480 if an albatross goes crazy and just eats way too 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.440 many fish, they might need to take a break and 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:46.200 float on top of the water for a while, you know, 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:50.640 until they've digested. Well that's pretty cute, but I think 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:53.680 you said you had a feel good story about albatross 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:57.080 is like, well, what exactly does that mean? Yeah, that's right, 0:04:57.120 --> 0:05:00.279 and it's actually about one albatross in particular. Her name 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.800 is Wisdom, and as of this year, she's going to 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:06.560 be sixty seven years old, which makes her the world's 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:10.720 oldest known wild bird. She was born sometime in one 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:14.279 but this Biologists started tracking her in nineteen fifty six, 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:17.119 and since then, Wisdom has managed to rack up somewhere 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:20.600 between two to three million miles in flying time, which 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:22.919 is the equivalent of about four to six trips to 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:27.040 the moon and back. Gosh, that's incredible, or at least 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:30.080 I think it's incredible. I mean, I actually don't know 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:33.520 how long albatross is typically lived, do you. Yeah, I 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:35.520 mean it depends on the species, but they live I 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:38.520 guess for you to fifty years if they're lucky. Albatrosses 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.040 are one of those rare species of birds and wild 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:43.800 animals in general. I guess that sometimes live long enough 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:46.800 to die of old age. Well, I guess that's, you know, 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:49.719 one of the perks of that wandering lifestyle, right, because 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:52.880 I mean, if you're constantly on the move flying over 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:56.040 an ocean, you pretty much have an unlimited food supply 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:58.960 right there below you, and most predators wouldn't be able 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:01.440 to keep up with you anyway. Yeah, that's definitely true, 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:06.120 and amazingly the biggest threats to albatrosses are natural disasters 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:08.880 and also I guess the consumption of plastic, both of 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:12.960 which Wisdom has managed to avoid for almost seven decades now. 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:16.000 But perhaps the most interesting thing to me was that 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.800 she's birth and raised over forty chicks over her long lifetime, 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:22.880 and that includes her most recent one, which was hatched 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:26.359 just this spring. I've always thought albatrosses were really cool, 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:28.760 you know, partially because of all the old sea myths 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:32.560 around them, and also that epic collar ridge poem. But 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:35.159 you know, nowadays they mostly make the news. You know, 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:37.560 there's like YouTube videos and stuff that just kind of 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:39.800 make fun of how silly they look when they're trying 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:42.839 to walk on land, which kind of a bummer. I mean, 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:45.920 even the name albatross, which is pretty awkward in its 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.440 own right, Like it was apparently just taken from words 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.600 used to describe other sea birds. So it comes from algatas, 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:55.719 which was I guess, this Arabic word for a sea eagle, 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.960 and and then that was adapted into a Spanish word alcatraz, 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.880 which was the word for a pelican, and then finally 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:05.039 the word made into English. I guess this is the 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:10.080 seventeenth century, and that's when we got the word albatross. Well. 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:13.600 As poorly conceived as that name is, I think penguins 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:16.560 might have it even worse. And that's because way back 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:21.680 when sailors actually used to call them ours feet. That's ridiculous, 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:28.640 I know, and I mean you can guess why. Yeah, 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:30.600 I mean, it's on account of their short legs and 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.800 their feet being so close to their backsides. But you know, 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:37.160 thankfully the Welsh did come up with their own name penguin, 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:41.320 which literally translates as white head. So I like, how 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.400 both these names that are on such random characteristics, Like 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.200 you know, if if I was defining a penguin the 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:50.680 fact that it's bum touches his feet like that wouldn't 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.520 be a defining characteristic, you know, or or that they 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:57.480 have white heads, like do penguins even have white heads? Well, 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:00.000 I mean the white head name it was actually another 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.640 are a case of mistaken bird identity, just you know, 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:06.040 just like with the albatross, the Welsh applied the name 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:09.640 penguin to their local great ac population, and you know, 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.600 and ac being another kind of giant black and white 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.720 see birds. So the thinking is that some sailors just 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:20.320 mistook penguins for ox and the name just stuck. I mean, 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:23.080 I think we've got to make emotion to stop letting 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:26.480 sailors name things because they always get it wrong. But 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:29.600 I'm with you. Also, this is kind of random, but 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:34.520 have you heard Benedict Cumberbatch try to say the word penguins, Like, 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.880 for whatever reason, he always winds up calling them penguins 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:42.720 or penglings. It's just hilarious because he winds up doing 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.320 all this like penguin content, like he was in this 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.840 cartoon penguin movie and he did the narration for a 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:52.800 BBC documentary about penguins, and the whole time he's just 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.880 butchering the name, Like I have no idea how he 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:59.199 lands these gigs or why no one corrects him. That's 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.559 pretty hilarious. I had no idea, but I'm going to 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:05.200 YouTube it right after this episode. Should but you know, 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:08.480 since we're on the subject of penguins or penguins if 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:10.360 you prefer, we should really take a few minutes to 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.400 talk about the largest of their kind, which of course 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:17.120 our emperor penguins, and these big birds stand around four 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:20.240 ft tall, which makes them the largest of the eighteen 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:23.120 penguin species found on Earth. And you know, also a 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:27.520 far cry from the smallest penguin species, and that's the 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:31.400 little blue penguin, which is only about sixteen inches tall, 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:35.040 and that's when it's fully grown. I love that blue 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.520 penguins are so little, like like they're almost like a 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:39.840 pocket penguin. I just wanted to think, what I like 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:42.880 stuff it into my pockets. But let's talk more about 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.280 these emperors, Like is it just their size that sets 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:48.240 the emperors apart, or are they different from other penguins 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.839 in other ways as well? Yeah, well, one difference is 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:54.480 that emperor penguins don't do anything the easy way, like, 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.800 for instance, other penguins in the southern hemisphere, they make 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:00.400 the sensible decision to lay their eggs, you know, during 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.840 the relatively warm summer months, and that's the same time 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:09.120 when Antarctic cruizes make their rounds. But emperor penguins they 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.080 actually wait until winter arrives to do their mating. And 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:14.920 even then, emperors don't head for the warmth of the coasts, 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:17.440 you know, to lay their eggs. Instead, they do the 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:23.559 opposite and head south into the harshest weather. That's not 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.719 if I've learned anything from marsh of the Penguins. It's 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.520 that emperors don't make things any easier on themselves during 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:33.200 their incubation periods. Like I know, most penguin species will 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:36.439 build nests out of like loose feathers or tiny pebbles 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:39.720 and keep their eggs there until they've hashed. But emperor 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.840 penguins have a different system, right, Like, they incubate their 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.280 one egg for the entire season, and they do it 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:48.520 by standing still and I think balancing it on top 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.000 of their feet. Yeah, that's right. And and this method, 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:54.360 it really wouldn't work at all if it weren't for 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.720 some pretty impressive teamwork on the part of their parents. 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.480 Like because as soon as the mother penguin lay her egg, 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:03.679 she high tails it towards the sea to feed and 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.520 build up her fat reserves. So for the next eight 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.120 or nine weeks after that, the task of incubation is 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:11.880 left to the emperor dads, who are able to keep 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.240 their egg warm thanks to uh, this special loose fold 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:19.080 of skin that contains a high concentration of blood vessels 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:21.800 and this featherless patch of skin it kind of drapes 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:24.360 over the egg at all times to to keep it 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.240 from freezing. And that's why the father stands still for 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:31.840 months on end. I've actually read that male emperor penguins 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.960 typically burned through nearly half their body weight while waiting 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:37.240 for their mates to return. So this is actually one 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:39.520 of those rare cases in the animal kingdom where the 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:44.560 plumpest and pudgest males are also the most desirable. I 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.319 mean that they're you know, easily the best equipped to 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:51.000 survive those long months without a meal. Yeah that's true, 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:53.360 but you know, just so people know that we aren't 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:57.400 body shaming penguins or anything, I want to mention that 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.959 emperor penguins male and female, are actually quite athletic, or 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.160 you know, at least they are in the water. In fact, 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:06.520 while most aquatic birds would be lucky to dive two 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:09.679 hundred feet or so underwater, the emperor penguin is capable 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:14.360 of diving a stunning undred feet or more, and the 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.239 amount of time they can stay under is just as impressive. 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:19.880 Like I read, the longest dive on record for an 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:24.120 emperor is just under twenty eight minutes, so that actually 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:25.960 is staying to me like the fact that then go 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:29.240 fift hundred feet under the water that that's incredible. But 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:33.280 what is their secret? Well, it comes down to this 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:37.839 amazing trick of physiology. So basically, they can metabolize oxygen 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:41.160 at a slower rate during a dive than they would otherwise, 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:45.720 like when resting. And this is how Live Science explains it. Quote, 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:49.200 the penguins can switch between two modes of oxygen use, 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.880 either starving their muscles or giving them an extra shot 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:56.400 of oxygen to help keep them working. And so emperors 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.960 they actually have one other trick up their sleeves as well, 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.359 which is that their brains have evolved to tolerate extremely 0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:06.680 low levels of oxygen without shutting down. So not only 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.200 can these birds control their flow of oxygen, they can 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.120 survive on a reduced flow for periods of time that 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:15.200 would result in brain damage or even death and just 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:19.080 about any other animal alright, So clearly they're the Olympic 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:22.160 divers of the animal kingdom, even if their parenting habits 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.920 are a little unusual. But now that we've covered everyone's 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:27.439 favorite flightless water birds, what do you say we switch 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:30.480 gears and talk about some of their land loving cousins. 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:36.960 Calmed down for that, But first, let's take a quick break. 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:51.360 You listen to part Time Genius and we're talking about 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:53.960 the secrets of the world's largest birds. Okay, Gabe, So 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:58.040 we've already covered the biggest fire a big swimmer, but 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:01.560 inch for inch and pound pound, the planet's tallest and 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.960 heaviest bird actually does neither of those things. And of 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.440 course we're talking about the ostrich here. Now. However awkward 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.520 they might look, ostriches are actually built for land speed. 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.000 In fact, they're capable of sprinting up to forty three 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:17.200 miles per hour in the short burths, and that actually 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:20.600 makes them the fastest bipedal runners on the planet. But 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.960 it's not just their speed that's so impressive. Their endurance 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:27.320 is absolutely staggering as well. Ostriches are able to maintain 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:29.840 speeds of thirty one miles per hour for up to 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.800 ten miles at a time, which is you know why 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.320 you never want to challenge an ostrich to a foot race, 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:38.920 right we all know that old saying. Yeah, but you know, 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.400 I did some reading on what makes ostriches such great runners, 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.720 and it turns out the key to their speed is 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:48.360 actually their toes. Really, so why is that? Well, so 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:51.360 most birds have three or four toes on each foot, 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:54.880 but ostriches only have two. And while you might think 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:57.520 this would hinder the birds balance in some way, the 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:01.440 reduced number of toes actually greatly improves their running form. 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:03.880 And as it turns out, two toed feet result in 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.560 less mass at the end of each leg, and that's 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:09.560 why ostriches can cover up to sixteen feet in a 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:13.680 single stride. Six ft in a single stride. That's crazy, 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.680 but you know, this whole two toe thing actually does 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.560 make sense. I I read somewhere that hoofed animals once 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:22.600 had more toes than they do now, but gradually, over 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:24.880 the course of millennia, their toes dwindled down to just 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:28.120 two per foot, and they, I guess it, became some 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.280 of the fastest runners in the world as a result 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.000 of that. But that's really fascinating to me. Yeah, that 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.800 is interesting. And you know, another thing I didn't realize 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.480 is that people have been racing ostriches, you know, for sport, 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:41.640 like the way we race horses. And this has been 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:43.880 going on for over a hundred years at this point, 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.480 and weird are still The practice got its start in Florida, 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:51.800 and that's where ostrich r of course it did, right, 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.280 of course, and that's where ostrige race tracks first started 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.760 popping up up and this was in the late nineteenth century. 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:01.560 Tourists would pay fifty cents to mount these giant birds 0:16:01.600 --> 0:16:04.240 and attempt to ride them. And you know, I say 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.640 attempt because of course, writing an ostrich is easier said 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:10.680 than done, right, Like, they don't take well to training, 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.000 and it's next to impossible to make them run in 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.880 a straight line. Not to mention how hard it is 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:17.920 to hang onto the back of something that's moving at 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.840 forty miles per hour. You know that there's actually a 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.760 way around that problem now that there's this annual event 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:27.760 at the Meadowlands called the Ostrich Derby, and I've never gone, 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.280 but it just sounds so great to me. So instead 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:32.280 of writing the birds bare back, the jockeys are actually 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.600 being pulled along in these brightly colored chariots and the 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:40.040 whole thing is completely ridiculous, but it's got its own audience. 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:42.520 Two thousand eighteen was actually the seventh year the races 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.040 have been held, and you and I should really go 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:48.080 to this. Oh yeah, we gotta get tickets next year. 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:51.360 I do want to mention though, that if you ever 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:54.440 come face to face with a wild ostrich, running away 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:58.760 is not in your best interests well, I mean, there's 0:16:58.760 --> 0:17:01.400 a good chance the ostrich will give chase. And remember 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.080 these things can top out at like forty five miles 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:08.800 per hour, so they will catch you right. And male 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.480 ostriches can go to be I think nine ft tall 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:14.159 and over three pounds, so you definitely don't want to 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.879 be on the receiving end of that. But uh, Ostriches 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.280 are sometimes known to attack humans if they feel their 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:23.080 territories being threatened, but if running is out, Like, what 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:27.360 is your best bet for surviving an angry ostrich attack? Well, 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:31.080 I looked into that because obviously ostrich attacks are such 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:34.320 a common threat that it's really just irresponsible to not 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:38.399 be prepared for one. And so this is the advice 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.960 I found in Discovery News. Instead of running away in terror, 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:46.560 they recommend quote hiding, playing dead until the bird becomes 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:51.159 bored and leaves, or standing your ground and fighting the 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:55.880 ostrich off with a long pole. I like this idea 0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:57.840 of like fighting an ostrich off in a long pull, 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.480 and it makes a lot of sense to me. Right, 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:03.719 never go anywhere without your ostrich pole and you'll be 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:07.320 just fine. That's good advice. But you know, before we 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:09.440 move on from ostrages, I do want to talk about 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:12.200 a couple other ways that these massive birds tip the scales. So, 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:14.960 for one thing, they have the largest eyes of any 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:18.200 land mammal on Earth. Each eye is roughly two inches across, 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:20.640 which means they're about as big as a billiard ball 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.240 and even larger than the bird's own brains. Ostriches also 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:27.200 have the largest eggs in the world, which I guess 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:29.359 an average one comes in and about six inches in 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:32.880 diameter and weighs more than three pounds, which is about 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.439 as much as two dozen chicken eggs. Good lord, that 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:40.440 is one big omelet. Also, they're like people do eat them, 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.720 right like Aurent Ostrich eggs a delicacy in some places, definitely, 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.480 and a single egg provides quite a meal. I think 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:53.000 it's roughly two thousand calories, so basically a day's worth. Wow. Well, 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:55.639 I know there's at least one more giant bird we 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:57.960 wanted to cover today. But if you don't mind, there 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.679 are a couple of misconceptions about as are just that 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.200 have always bugged me. So I'd like to take a 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:05.160 couple of minutes to set the record straight on those. 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:06.960 And and actually I want to start with the idea 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:10.600 that ostriches bury their heads in the sand. Sure, so 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:13.679 I I remember this from mental class, but I remember 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.400 thinking it was just an illusion, right, Like, ostrich heads 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:18.200 are pretty tiny compared to the rest of their bodies, 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:20.679 so if you're looking at them at a distance and 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:23.280 they're like nibbling at food, it just might look like 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:26.720 their heads stuck in the ground. Yeah, that that's definitely true. 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:29.720 But you know, actually some researchers think the real root 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:31.800 of the myth has more to do with the nesting 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:34.920 habits of ostriches. So the birds they have to dig 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:38.720 some pretty big holes to stow those massive eggs you mentioned, 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:41.320 and sometimes these holes are up to eight feet wide 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.080 and two feet deep. And you know, it's during the 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:47.440 egg incubation period where all the confusion comes in. Like 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.360 ostrich parents take turns rotating their eggs with their beaks, 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:54.760 which you know obviously requires them to stick their heads 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:57.680 pretty far into the nest. So you know, to an observer, 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:00.520 it might look like the ostriches bury in its head 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:02.679 in the sand, but that's actually not what's going on 0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:05.920 at all. That's really fascinating. I've never heard that. But um, 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.800 do you have like another austar smith you wonder? Sure? Yeah, yeah, 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:12.720 And and this one it actually goes beyond just ostriches 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:15.840 because it concerns the origin of an entire family of 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:20.119 flightless birds known as rattites. So along with ostriches, the 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:24.800 rabbits family also includes other big birds like EMUs and rays, 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:29.639 as well as tiny flightless birds like Kiwi's. And for 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:33.240 the longest time, researchers have assumed that rabbites never had 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:36.000 the ability to fly at all. And that's because we 0:20:36.080 --> 0:20:39.399 know that the wings of these birds are still functional 0:20:39.600 --> 0:20:44.040 rather than ornamental. So in Ostrich, for example, uses its 0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:46.399 wings like a rudder. Not only are they good for 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:50.080 maintaining balance, they also helped the birds turn and break 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:53.080 when running at high speeds. So the thinking has been that, 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:55.840 you know, since their wings don't seem to be vestigial, 0:20:56.160 --> 0:20:59.480 rabbites probably always lacked the ability to fly, and instead 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:04.119 they simply evolved from other ancient flightless birds, which is 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:06.760 really interesting. But I think we're saying is that theory 0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:09.720 is now being challenged. Is that right, right? Yeah, that 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:12.919 is right. More recent research suggests that the ancestors of 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:16.520 rabbites spread to more isolated regions at a time when 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:20.080 their wings were still used for flying, and you know, 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:22.440 they likely did this as a way to avoid becoming 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:26.399 the lunch of their larger dinosaur cousins. And you know, 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:28.960 then as the dinosaurs died out and the continents began 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:32.840 to separate, these now isolated birds found themselves at the 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:35.400 top of the food chain and suddenly without the need 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:39.080 to escape to higher ground anymore. So once the need 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:41.840 for flight was removed, so too was the need to 0:21:41.840 --> 0:21:43.840 stay small and you know, in order to be able 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:47.360 to fly, and and that enabled the birds to independently 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:51.639