Birds have an embarrassing problem...
Show notes
This bird has a superpower most animals don’t have: it can fly. And the reason birds can fly is because every part of their body is optimized for an airborne life.
Birds have really efficient – and kinda weird – respiratory systems. They don’t just have two lungs like we do – they also have air sacs tucked away in their bodies to hold extra air.
Birds also have really big hearts to pump blood to their energy-hungry muscles, and they have big brains because flying requires smarts – I mean, they have to be quick thinkers to avoid flying into trees.
But there is a tradeoff – for some parts to become heavier, others had to become lighter. Birds lost many unneeded bones, like fingers, and even gave up their teeth and jaws, opting instead for lighter beaks.
Birds don’t even bother with a bladder – in other words, birds can’t even hold their pee because it might weigh them down too much.
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