Latest news with #SaadBhamla
CBC
23-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
Flamingos create water tornadoes to trap and suck up their prey: study
During the pandemic, Saad Bhamla watched the flamingos at the zoo perform strange head movements as they ate, and found himself wondering: "What the heck is going on?" The birds would submerge their heads in the water, with their beaks by their feet, while stomping their webbed feet, walking sideways and moving their mandibles, splashing water everywhere. Bhamla and his colleagues decided to study the movements. It turns out, he says, the flamingos use their necks and beaks to create a vortex in the water to trap and slurp up their prey — an evolutionary practice apparently distinct to them. "We couldn't believe our eyes," Bhamla, an associate professor of bimolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "When they raise their heads underwater, they create a tornado, which traps these tiny shrimps and tiny invertebrates living in the water that they want to feed on, and makes their job easier to sift them through the mud and muddy things that they feed in." The findings published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that these bright pink, spindly-legged birds stand out not just for their whimsical aesthetic; but also for quirky foraging habits and unique evolution. How do flamingos eat? As part of their research, the team observed 3D-printed models of the flamingos' feet and beaks, and studied the skull of a deceased flamingo. But the real stars of the study, Bhamla says, were Marty and Mattie, a dynamic duo of Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) from the Nashville Zoo. Thanks to their willingness to be fed in controlled conditions, the research team could observe these flamingos as they ate with their heads upside down and submerged in the tank. Footage from a high-speed camera and other devices captured the velocity of these motions. WATCH | Compiled simulations of flamingos' foraging behaviours: The team confirmed that their head's anatomy — particularly their L-shaped beaks — help in creating this whirlpool effect as the birds quickly pull their heads out of the water. "They're moving their heads in tens of milliseconds," Bhamla said. "And they're doing this constantly, over and over again." The team also observed two other feeding techniques: chattering and stomping. Chattering is when the birds clap their upper mandibles, or jaw bones, underwater. Mattie and Marty also chattered their beaks when they stood still, or as they stomped their feet to stir up the sediment below. Stomping with their asymmetric webbed toes helps flamingos generate complementary vortexes to catch small prey and then easily swallow them with their beaks positioned near their feet. The Bhamla Lab website lists a detailed breakdown of each of these techniques, including video clips and a comic book illustration. 'They're not doing a funny dance' Jerry Lorenz, former research director of the bird conservation organization Audubon Florida who was not involved with this project, said the team "did an excellent job looking at the various flow patterns and movements" of both bill and tongue. "We've known that flamingos had a very interesting way of foraging and that their mouth parts were just kind of a bizarre thing," he said. "But the way they put it together to make sense of the evolution that created this … was just really astounding. I was actually delighted by the whole thing." From a conservation perspective, Lorenz says these findings are significant to understanding how flamingos interact with their environment to know how to best preserve it. "Evolution doesn't do accidents. If they're doing a behaviour and you don't understand why, there is an evolutionary reason for them to be doing that," he said.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Where and when 17-year cicadas are expected to invade Ohio this spring
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Parts of central and southern Ohio are set to be invaded by a constant din this year. Brood XIV of cicadas is set to hatch across parts of 13 states, the second-largest brood of cicadas, according to the University of Connecticut. According to the USDA Forest Service, in Ohio, the brood is expected to emerge in parts of Brown, Highland, Fayette, Ross, Pike, Scioto and Lawrence counties. The University of Connecticut said the area affected by the brood stretches from southern Ohio through Kentucky and Tennessee, with parts of West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts expected to see the harmless insect as well. Since the area borders parts of Maryland, Indiana, and New Jersey, some of the bugs can make their way there, too. More a nuisance than a threat, the large bugs usually emerge either on a 17- or 13-year cycle depending on the brood. The cicadas emerge sometime around May or June when the ground temperature hits 64 degrees, and they last for about 4-6 weeks. The constant, loud hum of the bug's mating song and somewhat odd appearance are no reason to be alarmed – they're harmless. 'All they do is just climb up on trees and pee. That's as much damage as they do,' said Saad Bhamla, a professor at Georgia Tech College of Engineering. Bhamla went on to explain the insect's urine is just water and poses no threat. In 2024, 'cicada-geddon' took over a large swath of the Midwest, when Broods XIII and XIX emerged at the same time. For Franklin County and most of central Ohio, the next brood – Brood X – is expected to emerge in 2038; a good part of the eastern half of Ohio, however, will be dealing with the bug in 2033 when Brood V is set to return. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cicadas return in 2025: Which states will see them?
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — Although it won't be like 2024's 'cicada-geddon,' some in the U.S. will see another round of the noisy insects again this year. Brood XIV is more spread out than some others, meaning there could be large gaps between the affected areas, much like Brood XIX, which emerged across much of the eastern U.S. in 2024. More Local News This year, portions of 13 states may be impacted by Brood XIV, the second-largest periodical brood of cicadas, according to the University of Connecticut. There are patches of Brood XIV territory in central Pennsylvania; Long Island, New York; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, according to the University of Connecticut. Areas likely to see cicadas from Brood XIV are in bright green on the map below. Cicadas usually emerge in late spring when the ground temperature reaches 64 degrees — for most states, that's around May or June. After that, they will stick around for about 4-6 weeks. Despite their loud mating songs and intimidating appearance, cicadas are not dangerous. 'All they do is just climb up on trees and pee. That's as much damage as they do,' said Saad Bhamla, a professor at Georgia Tech College of Engineering. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Bhamla clarified that cicada pee is unlike mammalian pee in that it is largely water. 'What's coming out is just water. So you don't have to worry, it isn't like our human pee. It isn't disgusting, it's just water.' If you thought 2024 was impressive, an even bigger adjacent joint emergence will be when the two largest broods, XIX and XIV, come out together in 2076, Cooley said: 'That is the cicada-palooza.' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
