Try standing on one leg. It’s tough, right? Flamingos stand that way for a long time—even when they sleep!
Young-Hui Chang, a biologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, recently learned how the birds can stand on one leg for so long. He and his team studied the structure of flamingo legs and analyzed how the birds stand. They found that when a flamingo stands on one leg, its joints lock into place. That allows the bird to balance without using any muscles. Flamingos actually stand more easily on one leg than on two!
The one-legged posture is likely an adaptation that helps flamingos survive. Scientists suspect that keeping one leg tucked close to their bodies helps the birds conserve heat in cool water.