Who has more bones in the neck - a mouse or a giraffe? Detailed answer

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Who has more bones in the neck - a mouse or a giraffe? Detailed answer

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Who has more bones in the neck - a mouse or a giraffe?

Both have seven cervical vertebrae - like all other mammals, with the exception of sea cows and sloths. Since two-toed sloths have six vertebrae in their necks, the poor fellows can hardly move their heads.

Birds, which simply need to turn their heads to clean their feathers, have many more neck vertebrae than mammals. Owls have fourteen of them, ducks have sixteen, but the undisputed champion among birds is the mute swan, which has as many as twenty-five cervical vertebrae.

Contrary to the claims of many people, owls cannot turn their heads 360°: the maximum they can do is 270°. This ability is achieved through additional vertebrae and special muscles that allow the bones to move independently of each other.

The ability to turn their heads compensates for their inability to move their eyes. If it becomes necessary to change the angle of view, the owl has to turn its head.

Owls' eyes only look forward, which greatly enhances their binocular vision - the ability to see things in three dimensions. This feature is vital for night hunting. Owl eyes are also extremely large to capture maximum light. If we had eyes of the same scale, they would be the size of a grapefruit.

Owl eyes are tubular rather than spherical in shape, which increases the size of the retina. The eyes of the common owl, for example, are a hundred times more sensitive to light than the eyes of humans. They can see the mouse even if the light level is limited to a single candle flickering at a distance of 500 meters.

Author: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How tall are pygmies?

Pygmies - the shortest people on Earth - live in the equatorial forests of Africa. The growth of an adult male reaches only 125-145 centimeters. Pygmies live in isolation and leave the forest only when it is necessary to exchange the meat of wild animals for bananas, cassava or millet. In search of food, they often move from place to place, but never go beyond their forest patch. Pygmies live in huts made of palm leaves. Until recently, they did not know how to make fire.

Pygmies live by hunting and gathering, and, owning only primitive weapons, they successfully hunt the largest animals, even elephants. Sometimes pygmies use poisoned arrows with curare poison, but most often they attack sleeping animals. Elephant hunters are highly respected. Only the most respected men are honored to taste the meat from the trunk. Pieces of meat are given to neighboring tribes as a sign of friendship and respect.

Women and children collect fruits, edible plants. All prey - both meat and plants - is divided equally among the families of the community.

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