Advertisement
The Most Interesting Facts on Owls
7. Owls can quickly turn their necks 270 degrees
Photo by Irene
Another interesting fact about owls is that they can turn their necks 270 degrees in each direction without hurting themselves. Isn’t that cool? How do they do it without severing their arteries or cutting the blood flow to their brains? Fabian de Kok-Mercado and Dr. Philippe Gailloud gave a CT scan to a dead owl to learn how its blood vessels withstand the rapid, up-to-270-degree turns their heads make. Their conclusion points out an astounding fact about owls. When their heads rapidly turn, the vertebral artery enlarges slightly as it approaches the brain, pooling blood to power their brains and eyes. The blood vessels near the brain are also highly connected. A vessel called the patent trigeminal artery connects the front and the back of the owl's brain, which helps supply other organs with as much blood as possible.
Who needs eyes on the back of our heads when you can turn around 270 degrees like owls can? Really!
Advertisement
