What's Da Buzz?

In what spare time I have, I like to read up on tidbits of things I had not known about or my hubby finds something to share with me in the little known factoids category. So now, let me share with you one of the best tidbits of information to really make your scratch your head.

Let me first share with you a few common details about woodpeckers. First, there are 216 species worldwide except for Australasia. The photos of many of the kinds of woodpeckers can be found here. Yes, the Philippines do have its species of woodpeckers as well. But these are all easily found pieces of information. There are many little tidbits of information about woodpeckers that are not readily known or shared if they are known.

I will number these out as they are just so intriguing.

1. For those woodpeckers that drill for grubs, they are able to detect the location of a grub in a tree with pinpoint accuracy then drill a hole near to the grub fast enough so the grub cannot get away from its tongue.

2. The bill of the woodpecker is a self-sharpening chisel. No human has figured out how to make a self-sharpening chisel.

3. The tail feathers are long and stiff acting like a prop against a tree when they are drilling. These tail feathers are resistant to the wear and tear of rubbing against a tree.

4. They have a specialized toe structure that allows them to climb and clamp down into a tree allowing them to drill. This goes from the positioning of the toes and the arrangement of the leg muscles and tendons as well.

5. They have shock absorbers built into the structure of the muscles and skeleton which we have not figured out how it works. For all mathematical purposes, they should break their own necks or skulls pounding into trees the way they do.

6. Woodpeckers have a very long tongue used in fishing out the grubs. They also have what are called hyoid bones that guide the tongue and protect it. These bones have tiny flexible joints which do the most amazing thing of all. They guide the tongue from the front of the mouth out the back of the throat / neck up around the skull and back down through the right nostril and into the bill.

That just amazes me as no random chance can get all that working just the right way at just the right time. The marvels of nature will always top those made by humans.

Hope you liked this start to this category. When it appears, I’ll bring up other little known details.

Thank you,

Anah

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