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The king of the skies
Outside of its reproduction period, the albatross spends its life at sea. It is extremely well-adapted to that milieu. It has a highly-developed sense of smell, which enables it to pinpoint distant sources of food. It also possesses a desalinating gland, allowing it to drink seawater and expel the salt through the nostrils.
Albatross feed on fish, squid and krill. More often than not, the food is collected on the surface, but the birds can dive to shallow depths.
An incredible glider …
Albatross have exceptional gliding and soaring abilities. By making use of winds and air currents, they are capable of attaining speeds of 135 km/h and covering hundreds of kilometres without effort. They can fly 2 000 km in search of food.
Their long wings and weak muscles do not allow them to sustain flapping of their wings over long periods. Albatross are, therefore, dependent on the wind for their movement. During periods of calm, they are obliged to land on the water and wait for the wind to start blowing again.
… economical in energy terms
By means of a miniaturised GPS system and cardiac rhythm recorders, it has proved possible to follow the movements of the Great Albatross in the Southern Ocean. Thanks to its gliding and soaring abilities, it is capable of covering considerable distances with energy expenditure equivalent to that of a bird at rest.
In proportion to the effort furnished, the albatross consumes very little fat and very little oxygen during flight. Its endurance has no equivalent among the other vertebrates. Its performance is comparable to a man running for 80 hours at a speed of 24 km/h ! |