Frazz by Jef Mallett for January 27, 2015
January 26, 2015
January 28, 2015
Transcript:
Caulfield: I wonder how birds keep their skinny feet warm without socks. Frazz: I wonder how they keep their metabolism revved high enough to survive. Caulfield: What? Frazz: I mean "me, too." I forgot to think like a kid. Mr. Burke: I wondered if that ever happened.
A major reason birds can successfully have this sort of anatomy is due to their having what is called “countercurrent” organization of blood flow in the legs. The basic design is that the venous vascularization occurs closer to the periphery and the arteiral blood flow occurs deeper internal to the venous. In this way there is a significant reduction in radiant heat loss, and the blood is warmed by its proximity to the arterial vessels as it returns to the heart.