Page 62 - Design in Nature

60 DESIGN IN NATURE

Lappet-faced vulture

Griffon vulture

A predatory vulture reaches
the carcass before the hyena.
Hyena

An animal carcass

Vultures can reach their food before their rivals, the hyenas, due to their flight techniques.
In the figure above, the griffon vulture feeding on a carcass catches the attention of a
lappet-faced vulture and a hyena. However, even the hyena's highest speed of 25 mph (40
km/h) is not enough to reach the carcass in time. The hyena can reach a carcass 2.2 miles
away (3.5 kilometres) in 4.25 minutes whereas the lappet-faced vulture reaches the carcass
in three minutes at a speed of 44 mph (70 km/h).

from changes in wind directions. The air currents lose speed when they hit
the surface of the sea. This is why the albatross encounters stronger
currents at higher altitudes. After attaining adequate speed, it returns to

gliding close to the surface of the sea. Many other birds such as the
shearwater use similar techniques while soaring on the sea.

The albatross with a wingspan of 10 feet (3 metres) is one of the
world's largest birds. Such a large body requires a lot of
energy for flight. However, the albatross can fly long
distances without flapping its wings by using the
dynamic soaring method. This technique saves this
creature tremendous amounts of energy.