Genovesa Island
The sun shining high up in the most beautiful blue sky you can imagine was the dominant feature today. All the inhabitants of the island were using different mechanisms to fight the heat. Many boobies were observed while fluttering the gular region of their throat and many gulls were panting. When the environmental temperature becomes hotter than normal, birds move water to lose heat through evaporative cooling. Birds lack sweat glands; therefore heat is lost through the respiratory tract by fluttering rapidly the upper throat. To minimize the energy expenditure of temperature regulation, birds use different morphological and behavioral traits to adjust their rates of heat loss and heat gain. Some boobies and frigates were perched with their heads down, thus avoiding exposing their whole bodies to the sun. The word used in biology to describe this mechanism is “thermoregulation”.
We were hot as well, as mammals we were perspiring, eliminating water through our pores. Swimming and snorkeling were favorite activities and helped us to “thermoregulate” our bodies. Happy, we came back on board after having enjoyed a tropical paradise. A place that merges beauty with wilderness in the most exquisite way.
The sun shining high up in the most beautiful blue sky you can imagine was the dominant feature today. All the inhabitants of the island were using different mechanisms to fight the heat. Many boobies were observed while fluttering the gular region of their throat and many gulls were panting. When the environmental temperature becomes hotter than normal, birds move water to lose heat through evaporative cooling. Birds lack sweat glands; therefore heat is lost through the respiratory tract by fluttering rapidly the upper throat. To minimize the energy expenditure of temperature regulation, birds use different morphological and behavioral traits to adjust their rates of heat loss and heat gain. Some boobies and frigates were perched with their heads down, thus avoiding exposing their whole bodies to the sun. The word used in biology to describe this mechanism is “thermoregulation”.
We were hot as well, as mammals we were perspiring, eliminating water through our pores. Swimming and snorkeling were favorite activities and helped us to “thermoregulate” our bodies. Happy, we came back on board after having enjoyed a tropical paradise. A place that merges beauty with wilderness in the most exquisite way.
