Gobble, gobble
Turkey sandwiches are gobbled up year-round, but during Thanksgiving, the wattled bird is the star attraction on the dinner table. But there’s more to turkeys than meets the eye. Like all birds, the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is a living dinosaur, meaning its related to Tyrannosaurus rex. The official bird of Thanksgiving can sport multiple beards and it has an iridescent cousin known as the ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) that lives in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, northern Belize and northern Guatemala.
Live Science takes a look at the rich biology, history and folklore behind the staple of the harvest celebration. We hope you’ll gobble up some turkey science with your holiday meal.
1. They sport beards
The centerpiece of many a Thanksgiving table once sported a beard? Well, sort of. The hairlike bristles that grow from the chests of male turkeys (or gobblers) and some hens are actually specialized feathers called meso filoplumes that grow from a single follicle. They can be lengthy, with some beards touching the ground, though feeding tends to wear down the ends, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Some birds have two: Gobblers with a whopping eight beards have been spotted, according to the Game Commission, though of the 10% of multiple-bearded turkeys, most have just two.
Though scientists aren’t certain the purpose of the filoplumes, they could serve a sensory function: Their movement could send information to birds about “Their tiny movements send information to nerve cells to tell a bird when its contour feathers need adjusting,” according to The Nature of Feathers.
2. Related to T. rex?
A turkey’s wishbone — the one you and your sister pull from opposite ends to see who gets the middle nodule — is formed by the fusion of the bird’s two collarbones. Also called a furcular, the bone serves as the connecting point for muscles and a brace for the wings. During the bird’s flapping (yes, turkeys can fly at a clip of 50 mph, or 80.5 km/h in short bursts), the wishbone acts as a spring to store and release energy. This elasticity is also the reason snapping a wishbone before it dries is so tough. Turns out, the wishbone is more than a fun game for Turkey Day; it also…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Livescience…