Edit Gallery

Edit Summary

"Another way of using vortices to put edibles where they can be eaten underlies (literally) a peculiar behavior of phalaropes (noted as surface-tension transporters in the last chaper). A Phalarope spends much of its time in a single place on the surface of shallow water, spinning rapidly around its own body, as in figure 6.12b. According to Obst et al. (1996), the spinning represents the recoil of the peculiar paddling pattern with which it creates an upward vortex like a tiny, underwater tornado or water spout. That vortex brings up edible items, with barely a pause in the spinning the bird snags in its bill." (Vogel 2003:136)

Watch video Edit References

Edit Living Systems