Uploaded September 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Do pelicans have nostrils? The answer turns out to be more complicated—and more interesting—than expected! In this episode of "Dissecting with Emily," Ohio University Honors Tutorial College sophomore Emily Caggiano and I are once again looking at brown pelicans, which are commonly thought to have closed over the nostril as an evolutionary adaptation for plunge diving. Emily presents the many vital functions that would be impacted and then ties it into her primary research on the evolution of nasal salt glands in birds. We're again drawing on anatomical preparations of Nigel, the same poor pelican who had to be euthanized at the wildlife rehab clinic in Florida, and which we've featured in previous episodes of Dissecting with Emily. Check out the whole Dissecting with Emily series with this playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0K9wSdRtLIat051zcg3i_nhokGCA6Pr. For more content like this, check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/witmerlab) or our university page (https://www.ohio.edu/witmerlab).
Do pelicans have nostrils? The answer turns out to be more complicated—and more interesting—than expected! In this episode of "Dissecting with Emily," Ohio University Honors Tutorial College sophomore Emily Caggiano and I are once again looking at brown pelicans, which are commonly thought to have closed over the nostril as an evolutionary adaptation for plunge diving. Emily presents the many vital functions that would be impacted and then ties it into her primary research on the evolution of nasal salt glands in birds. We're again drawing on anatomical preparations of Nigel, the same poor pelican who had to be euthanized at the wildlife rehab clinic in Florida, and which we've featured in previous episodes of Dissecting with Emily. Check out the whole Dissecting with Emily series with this playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0K9wSdRtLIat051zcg3i_nhokGCA6Pr. For more content like this, check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/witmerlab) or our university page (https://www.ohio.edu/witmerlab).
