How Do Pelicans Survive Their Death-Defying Dives? | Deep Look

Brown pelicans hit the water at breakneck speed when they catch fish. Performing such dangerous plunges requires technique, equipment, and 30 million years of practice.
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California’s brown pelicans are one of two pelican species (once considered the same) that plunge from the air to hunt. The rest, like the white pelican, bob for fish at the water’s surface.
The shape of its bill is essential to the birds' survival in these dives, reducing “hydrodynamic drag” - buckling forces, caused by the change from air to water - to almost zero. It’s something like the difference between slapping the water with your palm and chopping it, karate-style.
And while all birds have light, air-filled bones, pelican skeletons take it to an extreme. As they dive, they inflate special air sacs around their neck and belly, cushioning their impact and allowing them to float.
Even their celebrated pouches play a role. An old limerick quips, “A remarkable bird is a pelican / Its beak can hold more than its belly can…” That beak is more than just a fishing net. It’s also a parachute that pops open underwater, helping to slow the bird down.
Behind the pelican’s remarkable resilience (and beaks) lies 30 million years of evolutionary stasis, meaning they haven’t changed much over time.
--- What do pelicans eat?
Pelicans eat small fish like anchovies, sardines, and smelt.
--- How long to pelicans live?
Pelicans live 15-25 years in the wild.
--- How big are pelicans?
Brown pelicans are small for pelicans, but still big for birds, with a 6-8 foot wingspan. Their average weight is 3.5 kg.
---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:
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Greetings! I'm Elliott, the producer of this episode. Thanks for watching. Please let us know what you think! We read everything :)

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Deep Look awesome video elliott!! ❤️😎👍🏽

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Deep Look: I learned more in 3 minutes than in an hour long TV documentary.

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Von Neely true

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I think that your videos are amazingly detailed and are of a great quality. It's shocking to see how much work you put into your videos, and would like to congratulate you on a booming channel. I also have an idea for a video; Taking a deep look on creatures of the past. Goodbye!

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Deep Look amazing!

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Take aim, bank left, *smashes* *into* *dentist’s* *window*

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Zach Lee i get this reference

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Finding nemo

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Nemo reference

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Real OG’s know this ❤

[@FuadShaqiri]

WOW this video was so well done, and it must have taken a really long time, good job guys, this was fascinating

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks, Fuad.

[@xavierhorn9825]

Ahh, I remember when I was photographing a garter snake at pretty much the same place, a pelican dived for something, and we got it in the photo. Those were good times

[@maaya7681]

Wow it feels nostalgic to see this old videos again after 4 years Deep Look I Love you And will always support this channel Love from India🇮🇳♥️

[@bangs4551]

Thx for this video. I love to watch pelicans here at Galveston. They are great soaring birds flying thermals & ridge lift fm. the bldgs along the shore, seldom flapping their wings. I used to fly ridge lift when I was in a glider club yrs. ago, so I admire their mastery of the art of soaring & gliding. Excellent video.

[@bioskeptic5246]

Isn't it extraordinary, that not only do these highly contextually sensitive adaptions occur at all, but that the relevant BEHAVIOUR in the creature also arises. Blows my mind a little. Like you mention about the young ones learning, but somewhere in the past, there had to be a period of simply knowing.

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Notification squad is here! We goin' to learn today.

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MoleculeXmolecule k pap

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MoleculeXmolecule u gon learrn tuday

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We gone learn

[@mohdadlan869]

Do you guys intend on expanding your content? Don't get me wrong, your show is the best show on KZbin, but I'd love to watch you guys talk about something like maybe the human body, or climate change or even space stuff. Whatever it is, I'll still love your content.

[@OvergrownWithTheMoss]

Mohd Adlan Very good idea, hopefully they do because the video quality is top notch, might as go as far as to say that this deserves a spot on TV

[@LernestW]

I never realized how much I love pelicans. thanks for the video.

[@soytv5654]

'bout to sleep but deeplook notified and here I am watching :)

[@RU-zm7wj]

I used to sit on the beach for hours watching these great birds dive and fish. Not only are they great divers but can also surf the waves, flying through the tube, for hundreds of meters and not flap a wing. One of the best flyers of all the ocean birds.

[@q-miiproductions878]

I’ll never forget the day I saw a brown pelican on top of a bathroom while I was at summer camp in elementary school. It flew away majestically.

[@AboveTheNoise]

Awesome inside look at what I'm sure we've all wondered about from a distance. That gular pouch is dope.

[@idan111]

This is by far my favorite episode. Kudos

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thank you!

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Every single topic of this channel is 💯 Knowledge full and with beautiful voice. 👌🏻

[@nixnew7325]

Im sorry but the thumb nail of the pelican looks terrifying 😂

[@ivo3185]

Spectacular video. Thank you so much for the work you do!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

You bet!

[@JamesKing2understandinglife]

The details that Deep Look provides us is very much appreciated by arm chair scientists like me. Thank you. I wish your channel only the very best. Do you fear running out of material to do videos on? LOL

[@patriciacrum5166]

What a fabulous video! I find pelicans so fascinating. After watching this I'm even more amazed by them.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks, Patricia.

[@-MuhammadAbdullah-fg4gb]

High quality content on KZbin, without being dull, great job

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THIS IS THE BEST CONTENT EVER I WANT YOU GUYS TO BE LIKE THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD DONT EVER STOP THANK YOU BY SORRY FOR MY EXCITEMENT

[@Neerp315]

You should make a video with the guys of BraveWilderness that could be one of the highest quality videos on KZbin. Nevertheless your videos are already pretty impressive! Keep up the amazing work!

[@CaliforniaFrank]

I love this channel!! It's like The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet in one! Great content! I'm glad I clicked on this, in my reccomended. Subbed!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks!

[@turtledragon8276]

How do you take those underwater shots? It's amazing to see a pelican dive straight towards the camera! I love your videos.

[@huhwhoiskx6868]

This is very educational and well made. Thank you.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

You are welcome.

[@twdjt6245]

Evolution is so amazing.

[@jocelynmcbride6748]

Very good video, Going to subscribe!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Excellent!

[@mantra4863]

Now these birds are even cooler then they seem

[@中村りょうび藩]

I once saw a bird go into water and didn’t come back out so I sat there for a few minutes and then BAM I found out the bird was dead

[@a.banks.7682]

Who knew that there was so much to the making of a bird? Nothing simple here....

[@emperor_woooooo5992]

I probably could do that too but I just can't seem to *wing* it

[@notsogrand2837]

Wow I'm learning more off KZbin from 3-4 minute videos than I am from 6 hours of school.

[@matthewreed3952]

How do you go about getting into a career studying nature? Similar to this or perhaps national geographic?

[@ddonttripbro]

I love this channel

[@perry-4444]

Elliott this was awesomeee

[@faisalahmed8840]

The pelican is sooo cute!!! I love pelicans and I want to kiss each and every pelicans on this earth. ♥ from Bangladesh.

[@sammiller5248]

Pelicans are strong. Pelicans are fast. Pelicans stick together.

[@lakshmihassan7688]

Much love from india. Ur voice is so sweet

[@AhmedEkri]

What is 3 gallons and 40 feet in proper world language?

[@brokenwave6125]

This is an American show on an American website. If you've got an issue, use your own country's streaming site.

[@ezamal89]

Love your vids as always DL. Never missed once. Say hi to Amy Standen for me!

[@OSpartan1170]

Can we get more bird videos? Maybe some about hookbills?!

[@JTMcAwesomeFace]

Pelicans are dinosaurs confirmed

[@phaaze3096]

Wow, very informative! Love the music too!

[@thomasskodzinsky3255]

How was the underwater scene captured on video of a pelican's pouch reaching for the fish after the dive?

[@tylersparks6665]

Nice video as always

[@asuque7147]

They could be great Seekers.

[@nobodyimportant4183]

Their eyes are beautiful

[@twinrixone5295]

Can you do a video about Hypsibius dujardini? An animal barely anyone knows but lives right next to us with extraordinary surviving capability.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

+twinrix one tell us more!

[@JustusWilcox]

love pelicans

[@well_as_an_expert_id_say]

That was funny when they said "even blind", like that's worse than snapping your neck

[@TGfoever]

“EVEN blind”, you don’t say a dive could result in a broken neck and make it sound as though going blind is a worse outcome than that 😂

[@Y7102-p1d]

When I first read the title I thought it was how politicians survive LoL

[@gavocrazy]

Pelicans are dope

[@jorgeivanatencio6708]

Im here just to celebrate that magnificent wiggle

[@Electroblade360]

"Where We Diving Bois?"

[@xantherxavier5429]

Am I the only one that finds the thumbnail to be terrifyingly unnerving?

[@sristirajgupta4789]

I like your channel

[@Billyboy4209]

This year they seem to of moved east lol to Stockton ca,I fish the delta just about every day and a massive flock has been there all winter and spring. White pelicans though not brown.

[@MisterDillPickle]

Do you guys have a video about the peregrine falcon?

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Not directly, but we do see and talk about falcons in our episode on owl wings: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2ebl3yHr8Z3eLs

[@XxArachitexX]

Great video! Foramina is pronounced four-am-in-uh

[@johnstewart8849]

I always wondered why they don’t get glaucoma....all that pressure on their eyes, repeatedly. Is there some protective protein , or structure around the optic nerve head?

[@bennylee8774]

That thumbnail gave me a mini heart attack

[@jyoster6447]

I'm not the only one who accidentally keep calling them Pelipper, right?

[@crazydogvlogz6105]

Last year on spring break I was shark fishing and a pelican ate the bait and flew off but we got the hook out

[@weirddogyoutoob6307]

0:56 yeah "ROCK HARD WATER"

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Yes - it's true.When people fall from a great height into a body of water, they can be seriously injured, right?

[@weirddogyoutoob6307]

Yeah gets that's true

[@Telugu_Vlogs_Off]

Because it cuts the surface tension of water so no problem

[@muhamadhelmi197]

Just because Pelican, doesn't mean Pelishould

[@shxdowhour]

2:24 when it opens the gulag pouch and closes it it looks like a whale’s mouth

[@pillyprin9236]

I see.

[@butch420cassidy4]

You can't tell me those thing aren't dinosaurs

[@tommystanley36]

Clearly not the product of a "more than intelligent designer". The astounding amount of detail on this creature makes it so obvious that it is a product of blind chance rather than one of purposeful design. Please, stop deceiving yourselves people.

[@TyrannoKoenigsegg]

Ah yes. Definitely a creature that was created But since we weren't around to see them change over time, we obviously have to listen to a book made by humans around 4 thousand years ago in a time when we couldn't explain where rain, lightning, earthquakes and diseases came from

[@gilangp2011]

Why your video are so greatful? How much money you need for each? Curious how many expert did...

[@kimbratton9620]

It's a real catch!

[@aaronvlogs1323]

Deep look place is always in California

[@soulcleaner3578]

They survive by adding Demarcus Cousins.

[@Ratcat234]

Did you win the compitition

[@envy4119]

you can pelican but you can't pelican't

[@elonmust7470]

They used to steal my crabbing chicken right in my face... Had to beat them away!

[@magallanthepenguin9132]

what happens if their pouch rips apart? i recently watched a video where a turtle broke the pelican beak badly. can the beak heal? or is it basically a death sentence no more hunting with that beak

[@CoffeeSuccubus]

2:20 oh my ;) But either way, amazing job at this. Subbed.

[@chrisrosalez8619]

Ewwww yucky chin

[@luisorozcocardenas1383]

@Deep Look Do you know the name of the music used in the video? I love it and would love to find it

[@KQEDDeepLook]

The music is original to Deep Look.

[@sandromariano1149]

Water might sometimes have chemicals so that how they blind

[@YoutubeKeyboardIssueSucks]

Darwin wants to k ow your location

[@syavargaming5399]

These are some of the highest quality informative videos I have seen. They always provide just the right amount of information without getting dull. Thanks for such high quality content!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Gracias.

[@AbdulazizAlsubaie876]

Syavar Gaming agreed

[@wellmywifemakessmoothiesil2698]

Deep Look You know Japanese as well?

[@lean.-4625]

Omg... That's spanish.

[@pinkdiamond3043]

wellmywifemakessmoothies ilike I hope you're joking.

[@TheLazyGentleman91]

Gular Pouch? You mean its Wobbly Gobbly right?

[@brokenacoustic]

And they called them 'scrotal throat'

[@deep_fried_analysis]

+

[@scattr7592]

What i always thought it was its wiggly jiggly thingy

[@unknownz1238]

When I was a child I thought it was called wiggly thing

[@unluckychucky3979]

I like to call it the cranial scoop

[@leocarioshiny]

For real tho, props to your music crew! I noticed the little musical flourish when the pelican wiggled it's tail and was totally charmed!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

So glad you caught that! Seth is a terrific composer.

[@sassasdfghjkl]

For anyone else like me who's reading the comments and is now looking for the tail waggle... 2:09

[@codyannkay844]

@@sassasdfghjkl thx alot

[@bumblebee6817]

Good job Seth!!

[@CoatedDolphin]

Seth is a legend

[@kammil14]

A small favour- could you include metric values in brackets in the subtitles? I mean it's not a big deal for us to check how much is 3 gallons or 40 feet, but would be nice to have it here :P Big thanks from Europe :)

[@SleepyAran]

yes!! that would be very nice since i don't know how much exactly is a feet to a meter and all without calculating >

[@hamadbakheet815]

or a big thanks from almost the rest of the world

[@shubhangikundu2827]

hamad bakheet YES

[@alessandrorossi1158]

I was just about to write that! It would be great!

[@TheShapingSickness]

Kamil Siwiński agree. This can't be a science channel with imperial system.

[@pie.x]

I am in awe at how you make amazing videos like this, Deep Look. Plus, I learn more.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thank you, Pie!

[@lawrencetulod4763]

Deep Look Metric System please

[@gazepskotzs4]

These are awesome, i enjoy Dr. Ann Jones too, just seen her first vids. Someone we wil seel in the future a lot too, hopefully!

[@kingstonb8130]

I thought the title said How do pelicans survive there deaths

[@seehearspeaknoevil5090]

Me to .

[@heaheah5179]

Me thre .

[@AkmalAzry]

Me fore

[@AkmalAzry]

.

[@johnlenardbuslon8500]

Me *Five*

[@fchoi6712]

Lets say natural selection snapped millions of necks before we got this version of the pelican

[@darkgiggler]

fc hoi lol 👌

[@a.s8897]

Why we don't see it in nature today?

[@slayldrm2695]

@@a.s8897 because they die

[@abdurrahim3283]

They mentioned that the fossil is identical to the living ones, no evolution, nothing has changed

[@slayldrm2695]

@@abdurrahim3283 thats impossible lol you cant define that by only relying to a really bad fossil and evolution is a long process it doesnt happen on 10 years

[@mr.chipwhitley8770]

I really like the closeups of the pelican. It really emphasizes just how unique they are and gives us a personal look at an otherwise hard to see bird (at least here in the desert where I live lol)

[@ellie-zn6kk]

This pelican with its face tucked in towards its neck looks exactly like my dog giving people the sad puppy look... literally the cutest thing I've ever seen, bless this video

[@Chelsey_Shigaraki]

I just came out of school and already I'm learning again

[@seagdc]

Pelican, pelican, pelican it’s beak holds more than it’s belly can.

[@longnguyenson646]

nice tune there!

[@darthvader566]

God i love pelicans! I fish all the time in the bay/ocean and i always love watching them!

[@Rexitubee]

I just started watching today, and your channel is one of the best out there. Deeply informative and precise. Uncovering the natures excellent masterpieces.

[@joshuasamsonjohnson-6706]

*Who is getting recommended to this in 2019*

[@goudjomichel]

Let me say this again, documentary producer deserve wayyyyy more recognition and praise for these informative and quality infos.

[@zcc5750]

*"Rock-hard water"* -Deep Look

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Yep. Try jumping from a high dive and landing on your belly. You will understand.

[@zcc5750]

@@KQEDDeepLook i just did

[@nicm783]

RGT Rush did it feel good!

[@nicm783]

RGT Rush wait why did they respond this video was made like forever ago

[@franhound]

They look so much like pterosaurs.

[@tia2461]

franhound you mean pterodactyls? orr?

[@franhound]

Pterodactyls and pteranodons are both pterosaurs.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Wow, you're really on a pter.

[@franhound]

Deep Look Isn't it pteriffic?

[@admiralcat3809]

Tia pterodactyl doesn't exist