108 m/s, which is the speed of the peregrine falcon when dive, at this time to withstand 25G gravity acceleration, the fighter pilot can only withstand 9G at most. Peregrine Falcons hunt with the precision of missile interception, as exemplified by the wild duck in Figures 1 and 2. The US B-2 stealth strategic bomber refers to the shape of the Peregrine Falcon, the B2 bomber costs at least $100,000 per hour to fly, while the Peregrine Falcon has only 1 waster per 100 kilometers!
The peregrine falcon is not very large, 38-50 cm long, has a wingspan of 95-115 cm, and weighs about 700 grams, but it has amazing skills, even eagles can carry it hard. In fact, the peregrine falcon usually does not fly fast, only 50-100 km / h, but when the prey is found to be swooping, the speed can reach up to 390 km / h. Flying to the prey at about 75-100 meters per second, Figure 3 is a slow motion of wild ducks being hunted, killing in one hit!
There are 10,000 species of birds in the world, and the peregrine falcon's food is a variety of birds, such as sand dune cranes, small as hummingbirds, as well as water birds, ducks, partridges, seagulls, pigeons, chickens, doves, crows, owls, eagles, and even catch mammals that are much larger than themselves, such as hares. Even in the face of provocations from birds of prey such as golden eagles, they will not back down. Their favorite food is pigeons, so pigeon owners hate them very much.
The secret of the peregrine falcon's high-speed flight lies in its body structure and flying skills. Why is it even faster than high-speed rail? When they find their prey, they will climb rapidly, and after occupying the commanding heights, their wings will be folded so that the wings are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, and the head will shrink to the shoulders, just like a missile swooping down from a high altitude. When approaching the prey, spread the wings and slow down, at this time the impact of the high-speed dive and the sharp claws of the dagger will give the prey a fatal blow.
Such superb flying skills are not innate, and the little peregrine falcon will slowly teach it how to hunt when it grows up. The peregrine falcon will catch a bird alive and give it to its child, and the baby peregrine falcon will instinctively react when it sees the bird and catch it. Because the body thinning skills are not enough, the bird will often run away, at which point the parents will recapture the bird. After 1-2 months of training, the peregrine falcon can master the hunting skills.
In order to cope with the high speed of 100 m/s, the impact of air currents or foreign bodies on the eyeball is very dangerous, and the eyes of the peregrine falcon have also evolved a special "equipment", which has an extra layer of eyelids, scientific named instantaneous membrane, which is used to protect the eyeball. The eyes of ordinary animals rely on blinking to secrete tears to moisten the eyeballs, while the peregrine falcon secretes an abnormal viscous liquid, the advantage is that it will not evaporate quickly, even if there are sand particles hitting the eyes.
Peregrine falcon nose for high-speed diving has also evolved, there is a small cone on the outside of the nostril, do not underestimate this bulge, if it is an ordinary nostril, the air will go around the nostrils at high speed to cause oxygen to decrease, and there is a vertebrae that can allow air to enter the nasal cavity, so that it can provide sufficient oxygen for the body. Humans have also improved the engine intake of the fighter according to this feature, reaching a faster speed.
Although the peregrine falcon hunts somewhat "brutally", it is loyal to love, and the peregrine falcon is monogamous, and unless one party is killed, it will be accompanied for life. And the females are larger than the males, and each male falcon can marry a "big fat daughter-in-law". Each time it can lay 2-4 eggs, which can hatch after about 29 days, and the baby peregrine falcon will leave its parents after about 42 days of nesting.
Eagles, owls, peregrine falcons are all well-known birds of prey, you can't say who is the most powerful, because they are all mutually aggressive, such as peregrine falcons can eat small eagles and juvenile owls, owls will sneak into the eagle's nest at night, Figure 14 is an owl catching a peregrine falcon, or in broad daylight.
Peregrine falcons evolved so perfectly that they were once on the verge of extinction. Because humans use a large number of pesticides, such as the pesticide DDT to spray crops, the Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle and other birds of prey in the United States are almost endangered, and the use of highly toxic chlorinated species and fertilizers has also led to less and less food for peregrine falcons. And these organochlorines accumulate in the peregrine falcon, resulting in a decrease in the calcium content in the eggshell, and even thinning of the eggshell and failure of hatching.
I remember when I was a child, I witnessed a peregrine falcon sneaking up on a domestic pigeon, the peregrine falcon rushed out from a hundred meters away, approaching the domestic pigeon at high speed from behind, and the domestic pigeon did not perceive any danger, and was still flying in a straight line, the peregrine falcon raised its claws to capture the domestic pigeon like a bag, and the domestic pigeon was instantly killed by the claw, without making any struggle. Stunned to see this happen, the whole process was only a few seconds, there was no chance to leave an image record, but this scene is often vividly remembered. #所见所得, very scientific ## punch card challenge game ##大有学问 #
