Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You. Psalm 33:18-22
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Scientists like to research all sorts of things. Those who study birds have tried to measure the gripping force of raptors (birds which take prey using the power in their feet). They have estimated that the gripping force of a bald eagle like the one pictured above is about 10 times as strong as that of a man, or about 400 psi (pounds per square inch).
Osprey are sometimes confused with bald eagles since 1) they both like to eat fish as their primary food and 2) they both have white and charcoal-colored feathers. I’ve even heard people call osprey “fish eagles”. Even though osprey are smaller than bald eagles, they still are impressive birds. Bald eagles have wingspans of about 80 inches and weigh about 7-14 pounds. Osprey have wingspans about 60-70 inches and weigh about 3-4 pounds. I couldn’t find information on how strong an osprey’s grip is, but I can tell you from personal experience, it is significant.
Once when I was at work, an osprey got tangled in some netting above a fish pond and tumbled into the water. I put on as many layers of gloves as I could manage (3), including a thick leather welder’s glove as the outside layer. I managed to scoop out the osprey as it thrashed around in the pond. The frightened bird’s sharp talons closed around my gloved hand with a vice-like grip. Had I not been wearing so much protection, my hand would have been in serious jeopardy of being both punctured and crushed. The osprey appeared to be a young bird, so it may not have yet developed its full strength. We took the injured bird to a local veterinarian, who rehabbed and released it.
The power of a raptor’s grip is generated as the muscles are contracted by tendons, which are attached to the leg bones. Tendon sheaths surround the tendons, and both have small ridges in them. When the muscle is contracted, these tendon ridges interlock, which allows the raptor to maintain tremendous pressure with the talons without exerting continuous force on the muscle. This permits the raptor to keep its talons locked down over long periods of time without expending much energy.
Birds which perch overnight in branches have a similar set-up. Their toes basically “lock” over a branch without the bird having to concentrate on maintaining its grip. That’s how birds can perch in a tree and doze off to sleep without falling out!
Pretty amazing design, I think.
Pretty amazing Designer.
The above Scriptures speak of God helping and strengthening those who call on Him. I’m so grateful for that. I know He’s done that for me many, many times, and I hope you’ve experienced that too.
Not sure how to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe? See Got God.
Hope you have a great day.
You’d think I would have known how those talons work by now but this was truly enlightening. It’s like a ratchet of sorts. Yes, a marvelous design by a marvelous Designer. Thanks for that explanation.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I don’t know why, but things like this have always fascinated me. Don’t know how God thought of all this but I think it’s pretty cool.