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Re: surface/volume ratio and water loss in smallest amniotes



It seems like rain and windy conditions makes all small flyers seek cover 
though. Maybe large ones too. I rarely get mosquito bites in a strong breeze. 
You?

Interesting factoid: I found that bee hummingbirds drink 8x their body weight 
in water every day, so there's one solution. And evidently there IS a problem 
with the surface/volume ratio and the threat of desiccation.


David Peters

davidpeters@att.net


--- On Wed, 2/10/10, Mike Habib <habib@jhmi.edu> wrote:

> From: Mike Habib <habib@jhmi.edu>
> Subject: Re: surface/volume ratio and water loss in smallest amniotes
> To: davidpeters@att.net
> Cc: "dinosaur mailing list" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 2:47 PM
> 
> > Would the lack of smaller birds/bats/pterosaurs be
> more of a flight problem (too small for windy conditions or
> incoming rain drops)?
> 
> Flight at smaller sizes is quite feasible - as Jocelyn
> pointed out, insects fly fine at smaller sizes.  The
> dynamics of said flight do begin to shift as the size gets
> very small, and therefore the Re regime shifts, but it does
> not forbid small size flyers.  However, vertebrate
> physiology and muscular anatomy may set lower limits on
> flapping flight effectiveness.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> --Mike
> 
> 
> Michael Habib
> Assistant Professor of Biology
> Chatham University
> Woodland Road, Pittsburgh PA  15232
> Buhl Hall, Room 226A
> mhabib@chatham.edu
> (443) 280-0181
> 
> 
>