Acid, Poop, and Barf: Vultures' Secret Weapons

Vultures, you eat old, putrid dead things for a living. How is that not killing you? Hank explains the secret weapons vultures use to fight off disease, avoid predators, and beat the heat. Prepare for a Sci-Show Gross-Out!

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[perpetualmonday]

The fact that their stomach, throat, and legs can withstand acid that can dissolve METAL is ridiculously impressive

[Just_a_Goth]

And people wonder why they're among my favorite birds...

[davidhuynh]

This makes vultures kinda important, like the Honey Bee.
So naturally, they will become extinct soon

[damnatiomemoriae]

I fricking love vultures, They're my number two favorite animal. The vultures don't get enough love.

[funpheonix]

Vultures are pretty neat birds :D I found out we only have one breed of vulture in the state I live in, Minnesota... the Turkey vulture. I have a lot more respect for the flying scavengers now :) and I'm glad that it's illegal to kill vultures even though they aren't even in danger of becoming extinct right now

[Weendigo]

FUN FACT! In Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, vultures are actually holy creatures, and the proper way to inter your dead is to leave them in the open in structures without rooves, so that vultures could feed on the remains, thus taking your soul with them to heaven. Pretty cool philosophy when you think about it. Also, very gross.

[WileyCylas]

Acid, poop & barf: the vulture’s secret like my alcoholic uncle....!!

[SALSN]

I also eat exclusively dead things... At least when it comes to animals, perhaps some of the plants could be considered still alive?

[MrPheropod]

I've always imagined of having a vulture digestive system transplant on me... lol

[marthastokeworth]

Are we using contents of their stomach juices for antrax research? Or better yet, antiantrax research?

[Trev_in_Poland]

i love you sci show
been a fan for awhile now
i learn more here than i do in school

[leannem]

Can you please make an episode explaining what happens mentally in panic attacks and what you can to do to help someone who is having one?

[chefkendranguyen]

I'm completely freaked out...yet I continue to watch. :)

[AJarOfYams]

Vultures: trash-crew of the avian kingdom

[dopburnnin]

Win as always, i guess you could annotate when Hank says "How is that not killing you" with the how is that not killing you episode

[graceclymer]

Vultures have been my favorite bird since long before this video, and while I did know a lot of the information presented, I didn't know about the acid part. This just made them sooo much better in my eyes. I mean, they could eat a robot raccoon. That's just freaking amazing.

[PubbaK]

Everything contained in the Bird And Moon "Birds are gross" comic... with added vulture proclaiming her awesomeness at the end

[TooShortPlancks]

They nearly are - the acid content of our stomachs is sufficiently high that it slowly digests itself, and every cell of your stomach will have been replaced with new ones every 10 minutes. But we also like to digest plant matter, so we need some bacteria to survive, and live in our guts instead. Plus, those bacteria help with alcohol digestion, viral immunities etc.

[yogozarfy]

Vulture vomit is the worst thing I've ever smelled; it makes human vomit smell like perfume.

[eastcoastkid]

I liked them in the Jungle Book but not so much after I found out what they eat. But this is all pretty cool! Maybe the next scishow could feature the olinguitos?