this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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Superbowl

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For owls that are superb.

US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now

International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com

Australia Rescue Help: WIRES

Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org

If you find an injured owl:

Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.

Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.

Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.

If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.

For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.

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Owl skeletal display at the Smithsonian.

Fact 1 - Owls have 14 neck bones, twice as many as humans. Giraffes also only have 7, just like us! This lets them rotate their head 270 degrees in either direction. Their skulls also attach to the spine with just a single connection, while people have 2 points of contact. This is why they can turn their heads near upside down.

Fact 2 - Why the need for all that head movement? Check out where the eyes go. Owls don't have spherical eyes like we do, they're cylindrical. They look mushroom shaped to me, but I didn't name them! As a result, their eyes can't swivel like ours can, so they need to move their while body to look somewhere else... Or just spin that head around!

Fact 3 - Their skulls are asymmetrical, and they have special feathers that help them hear. The radar dish shaped head directs sound to the ears where specially designed feathers help direct sound into the earways. One ear opens up and one down, to help with vertical location. The distance between ears helps pinpoint the horizontal location. With all this info, they are able to spot prey in total darkness or under leaves or snow with laser accuracy.

Fact 4 - If you zoom in, the plaque says owls are more closely related to goatsuckers than hawks. That is a heck of a funny name!

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[–] gotnuffin 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

How many disappointed NFL fans have joined this sub?

[–] anon6789 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Not enough!

I do think it helped grow the original sub on Reddit. I learned about it from people commenting on subs that weren't what you expected, and most people seemed surprised, but in a net positive way.

This is an actual harmless prank, which seems to be rare these days, so I support it!

[–] gotnuffin 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

We'll I'm in for skinless owl not the pig skin.

When I was a kid my favourite raptors were the Great Horned Owl and the Kestrel.

[–] anon6789 2 points 2 years ago

I'd probably pick the screech owl and peregrine.

Also a big fan of vultures. They look ugly/scary, but there are a ton of awesome things about them.