Tufted puffins regulate their body temperature thanks to their large bills, an evolutionary trait that might explain their capacity to fly for long periods in search for food.

In a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers from McGill University and the University of California, Davis, used thermal imaging cameras to measure heat dissipation off the bodies and beaks of wild tufted puffins in the minutes after flying.

Classified as: Puffins, Thermoregulation, exaptation, evolution, morphology, Kyle Elliott, Hannes Schraft
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Published on: 27 Nov 2019
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