State 25 - Missouri
World Bird Sanctuary - Valley Park, MO
We’ve reached the halfway point in the states!
This is Goblin, named after David Bowie’s Goblin King character in Labyrinth. He is one of almost 300 animals at World Bird Sanctuary.
Their fact sheet says Barn Owls have some of the best hearing, able to hear mouse footsteps from almost 1/4 mile away , and that they catch 3 or 4 mice a day.
From Nov to March, they have Owl Prowl events to hang out with the owls specifically, and I also saw they have an animal meet and greet where you can handle one of their raptors. The picture showed a Spectacled Owl, so they do have some more exotic species also.
I hope you enjoyed the owls of the southern hemisphere from this weekend. If you missed the Morepork, the Bay Owl, or the Powerful Owl, make sure you check them out. They’re all very unique, especially that Bay Owl!
If I were a mouse I’d be frickin spooked let me tell you what.
Same. Some animals really seem to have super powers, and they don’t mess around!
They look cute to us only because they can’t eat us! When you break it down, they have super vision, X-ray vision, super hearing, stealth, camouflage, flight, super strength, and razor sharp claws and beak. Definitely OP.
How do they have x-ray vision?
Well, x-ray hearing would be more appropriate, their anatomy allows them to hear in 3D to locate prey through snow. Normal sight hunters would be out of luck, but some owls’ ears let them find what can’t be seen.
How Can An Owl Catch A Mouse Underneath A Foot Of Snow In Total Darkness?
Owls do have excellent vision, but one would need either infrared or x-ray vision to see a small mammal under snow. Instead, owls do much of their hunting with the aid of their incredible hearing.
Owl hearing has been most extensively studied in Barn Owls. These pale predators can see very well in low light, but their ears are better. Their hearing is the best of any animal that has ever been tested.
All owls possess extremely sensitive hearing, allowing them to hear low-volume sounds that are relatively far away. But beyond that, many owls also have an uncanny ability to hone in on the exact location of a sound source. Owls with this special ability have an unusual anatomical trait: ears that are positioned asymmetrically on their heads.
In the Barn Owl for example, the external ear canals are offset in two ways. One ear is higher than the other, and one ear is also farther forward on the head than the other. This unusual arrangement helps the Barn Owl locate the source of sounds in three-dimensional space with great precision. Tiny differences in the time it takes for sounds to reach each ear allow the owl to almost instantly zero in on the sound’s precise location. The owl can determine not only the direction of a sound, but its height (i.e. on the ground or in a tree) and distance as well.
Reference Pic
Thanks for explaining, I didn’t know any of this!
Yes, it is very awesome!
I wonder how it feels having an asymmetrical head…
When you see a RADAR dish and it’s round and symmetrical similar to our ears… I have to wonder (surely the answer is yes) if any of the worlds governments have worked on non-RADAR low-noise detection systems of above-ground (stealth aircraft) or under-ground boring using an owl skull as the reference material. I don’t know how it would work in busy cities, because afaik owls stay far away from noisy cities, but at more remote points scattered around the coasts and borders I bet something similar could work.
Active sonar or ultrasound imaging would be the closest I can think of, but those both involve an initial sound produced by the one listening. Passive sonar is closer, but I don’t know if humans can actual locate anything that way.
Triangulation itself is used in a lot of things, but the owls are just able to do it instantly without math. They do look a bit goofy doing it, but that seems a fair trade for a special ability. That’s what all the upside down head stuff is all about.
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Yes, indeed! Most owl species are monogamous.
They don’t seem to roost together most of the time unless raising babies, but I guess that still helps them maintain their territory during the off season.
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