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Friday, March 30, 2007

here's another one of the mysteries that we may have in our lives:) taken from Reader's Digest again April 2007:

"Do ducks have ears?"

According to Dr David Bird, professor of wildlifebiology and director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre of McGill University in Montreal, ducks, like all vertebrates, do indeed have ears, although they don't look much like the human version.
"As can readily be seen," Bird says, "the avian ear is missing those fleshy flaps, called pinnae, that stick out on either side of the head. Instead, ducks have smallish holes just behind their eyes that are covered by small, stiff feathers."
These feathers help to minimise turbulence during flight, even enhance sound collection by forming a funnel that directs sounds.
Although structurally simple, duck's ears are also remarkably sensitive. As Bird points out:"A duck's hearing is thought to be at least as sensitive as that of mammals in terms of sharpness, frequency discrimination and sound location. And as in all birds, the semi-circular canals of the inner ear, which essentially help maintain a keen sense of balance, are very well developed."

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