Page 232 - The Miracle of Migration in Animals

THE MIRACLE OF MIGRATION IN ANIMALS

Werner Gitt, professor and director at the German Federal
Institute of Physics and Technology, gives the following explanation
of how these birds manage to complete their 88-hour flight with only
70 grams of fat:

We regard the Creator’s work with amazement. He employs the funda-
mental theorem which states that “energy input is optimized through
information.” In the case of the plover this means that the bird has been
given some important additional information, namely: “Do not fly
alone, but fly in a V formation! In the V formation you will save 23 % of
your energy and will then safely reach your destination”… After 88
hours the normal residual amount of fat is 6.8 g, which has not been
carried along unnecessarily, but is a reserve to be used when head-
winds are encountered. The extremely low specific rate of fuel con-
sumption, p = 0.6 % of its weight per hour, is all the more amazing

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