"And now as Festivus rolls on, we come to the feats of strength." - Frank Costanza Iowa's outdoors is ready to step up - check out these amazing feats of nature! Bald Eagles build some of the largest nests in the world, with record nests weighing more than 2,000 pounds! Badgers use their short, powerful legs and long claws to dig a hole faster than a person with a shovel can. In fact, they can sometimes throw dirt 4 to 5 feet in the air as they dig! (We also bet they'd be good at the Airing of Grievances.) Great Horned Owls' talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. This strong grip helps hunt prey as large as striped skunks. Speaking of skunks…you already know the strength of a skunk's smell, but these guys are so tough they eat ground-nesting bees and wasps for a snack. The super generation of monarch butterflies that makes the 3,000 mile migration to Mexico each winter acquire the remarkable ability to halt aging and then stay alive for more than eight months—the rough equivalent of a human living six centuries! A Festivus Miracle! The American beaver can fell large trees and build dams big enough to be seen from space. Beavers can also hold their breath underwater for up to 15 minutes. Monarch photo by Amie Davidson; skunk and beaver photos by Eric Williamson.
-
-
-
-
-
+1
