I am always surprised at how well the ducks will tolerate the cold on their feet.
Recently, their favourite little pond partially froze; it had a thin layer of ice in places, but the ducks settled on the icy parts and even napped.
Do they have duckie antifreeze in their feet??
Actually, they sort of do. Through a process called counter-current heat exchange, their bodies literally lower the temperature of the blood headed for their feet and warm it up again as it heads back to their hearts.
It’s so effective that in winter, mallards only lose five per cent of their total body heat through their feet. That’s a pretty ingenious system.
It could be a great system for humans too but I think I prefer socks and footwear instead. 🙂
Happy Wednesday.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 
Clever ducks xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
They are! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I once watched a pair of mallard ducks arrive at a frozen pond near here. They glided smoothly across the surface until the far bank brought them to a rather undignified halt. No harm done. Shame I didn’t have a camera handy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it’s too bad that you didn’t have a camera, Stuart! I have seen ours here do similar sorts of things. Mallards can look so elegant and inelegant at the same time. They’re really quite funny but I love how well they get on with the nervous quail and the aggressive Canada geese. They may be the only other life form that the geese will tolerate!
LikeLike
Fascinating! I also prefer socks, though. Maggie
LikeLiked by 1 person
I kept wondering why their feet don’t freeze to the ice they’re standing/sleeping on so I finally decided to find out why. Socks are definitely better, though. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup, definitely a socks and shoes guy. Nice info on how the ducks don’t freeze their feet. I am always fascinated/entertained watching ducks land and walk on ice they sometimes see as water. Reminds me of Canadians trying to avoid slipping in winter. Happy Wednesday Lynette. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Allan. I kept wondering how they could nap while standing on the ice without freezing their feet. I agree, they’re always so funny when they encounter ice and look so much like people trying not to slip. They look even funnier when they land on it but they never seem to get injured. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting that. I always wondered about that when observing ducks in freezing weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Every time I saw them napping while standing on ice it would cross my mind. I finally decided to find out why. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this! Nature really is the ultimate engineer. I knew birds could handle cold, but I had no idea the heat loss through their feet was that minimal. Counter-current heat exchange is such a clever solution—way better than my winter boots on icy mornings.
“Duckie antifreeze” made me laugh 😄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mary. Every time I saw the ducks napping while standing on some ice I wondered how they could tolerate it so I finally made a point of finding out. Agreed – the counter-current heat exchange is clever. Nature really knows how to figure out things out. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cute and amazing!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ducks are always so cute! 😊
LikeLike
That truly is amazing, but the, that’s Mother Nature; she’s quite resourceful. I learned something new today; thanks, Lynette!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome. 😊 Agreed; nature sure knows how to unknot a problem! Every time I saw them napping on some ice I wondered how their feet could tolerate it so I finally made a point of finding out.
LikeLike
You captured these in wonderful light! I could do with a bit of that counter-current heat exchange 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Belinda. The light really was beautiful that afternoon. Yes, that heating method would be a great addition! Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve often wondered the same thing about whether their feet get cold. Cattle too, when they stand in cold wet fields. Maybe they don’t have a lot of blood flow or nerves in their feet so they don’t feel it as much. Just a guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have no idea about cattle but there’s likely some sort of system that compensates for that. Nature sure knows how to unknot a problem and then invent an ingenious solution. Cheers.
LikeLike
I think that Mallards are particularly resilient. As I see here in Finland, at least.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that they are. They do seem to overcome whatever comes their way which probably accounts for their numbers. They seem to be everywhere. Cheers.
LikeLike
Awww-so-cute ducks, but the real magic of this post is learning the way they regulate blood heat, to and from their feet! That deserves awe (not awww).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Penny. They are definitely “aww” cute and I enjoy seeing how they get on so well with both nervous quail and aggressive Canada geese. But yes, their feet! Definitely an “awe”some quality. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting about duck feet. I can’t even get socks and mittens to keep my extremities warm. I do better barefoot in boots and my hands love my heated steering wheel.
LikeLike
I do prefer cosy socks myself too! Great pics
LikeLike