Posts by: vkliang

Kestrels and Windhovering

December 8, 2012 at 2:18 pm

Hummingbirds are well known for their ability to hover, as are insects. However, hovering is a much more rare concept in larger animals, such as birds of prey. Birds of prey typically maintain their altitude while hunting by gliding around in circles, in order to generate lift. Kestrels, however, are the only bird of prey […]

Posted in Student post | Comments Off on Kestrels and Windhovering

Cephalotes atratus, the gliding Darth Vader of the ant world

November 18, 2012 at 6:29 pm

Convergent evolution is a term used to describe species that have individually evolved to acquire similar biological traits in order to serve the same purpose. Gliding is a befitting example of such evolution – mammals, reptiles, and amphibians alike have all exhibited different means of turning a fall into a smooth, controlled descent, showcasing the […]

Posted in Student post | Tagged , , | Comments (2)