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Hummingbird Adaptations In Dazzling Motion

29 minutes 50 seconds

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Hummingbirds live only in the Americas, and their diversity numbers 350 species. They are part-time carnivores that must catch animals that compromise ¼ of their diet. Demonstrates how they can hover, fly backward, and move their wings in figure eights at 200 wind-beats per second in slow and stop motion images. Also reveals that every night their bodies go in torpor (mini-hibernation) so they don't starve while they can't consume nectar. Also sees how they co-evolve with flowers through pollinating mutualisms, and acquired their aerial skills by evolving from ancestors of swifts, their nearest relatives.

Media Details

Runtime: 29 minutes 50 seconds

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