How many degrees can an owl turn its head? 110 degrees. Here is an explanation from the Cornell Owl Cam website: Spinning HeadsBarn owl eyes are large and forward facing, giving them a wide range ‘binocular’ vision (seeing an object with both eyes at the same time) and the best stereoscopic vision of all birds. Owls are able to see objects in 3 dimensions (height, width and depth) and can judge distances in a similar way to humans. With a field view of approximately 110 degrees, 70 degrees is binocular vision. Humans have a field view of 180 degrees, with 140 degrees binocular vision. Unlike humans owl eyes are more cylindrical and are held in place by bony structures called sclerotic rings. As the eyes are held in place they are unable to move (roll), which means an owl can only look ahead. They make up for this lack of movement by moving the entire head, as you can see in this clip. Owls have long flexible necks with 14 vertebrate, double that of a human. They can turn their heads 270 degrees! Carotid arteries in humans are located on the side of the neck. The carotid arteries in owls are different in that they are carried close to the center of the rotation just in front of the spine. Major arteries feeding the brain pass through bony holes within 12 of the owl’s vertebrate. These cavities are approximately 10 times wider than the artery inside. This extra space means the arteries are cushioned by air pockets allowing it to move when twisted. The placement of the vertebral artery entering at the 12th cervical vertebrate provides the blood vessels with additional room and slack. In addition between the carotid and vertebral arteries, owls have smaller connecting vessels which allow alternative routes for blood flow should one pathway close due to rotation. Just under the skull base owls have wide sections in the carotids that are able to dilate and fill with a reservoir of blood, possibly enabling a continued blood flow in case there is disruption further down the neck. The reservoirs contract when they are not in use, only pooling blood when energy is required for their large brains and eyes while they rotate their heads. Moving the head gives the owls a huge range of vision without having to move the body and risk being spotted by potential prey. https://youtube/watch?v=rIyHqP1uSsU
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 16:33:15 +0000
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