Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Using a Thermal Camera to Measure Heat Loss Through Bird Feather Coats
Published on: June 17, 2020
Gravitational effects on body composition in birds
A H Smith1, P O Sanchez, R R Burton
1Chronic Acceleration Research Laboratory, Department of Animal Physiology, University of California, Davis, Calif., USA.
Abstract:
Gallinaceous birds, presenting a wide range of body size, were adapted physiologically to hyperdynamic environments, provided by chronic centrifugation. Chemical composition was measured directly on prepared carcasses, which were anatomically comparable, and more amenable to analysis than the intact body. Body mass and body fat decreased arithmetically with increasing field strength and also with increasing body mass. Water content of lean tissue increased in hyperdynamic environments, but irrespectively of body size.
Related Concept Videos
Variation in Acceleration due to Gravity near the Earth's Surface
The difference between the true and apparent weights is proportional to the square of the Earth's angular speed. Since the...
Optimal Foraging
Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies
Limits to Natural Selection
Conservation of Declining Populations
Free-falling Bodies: Introduction

