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Vultures: The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem - Kenny Coogan

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TEDEd Animation

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In the African grasslands, a gazelle suffering from tuberculosis takes its last breath. The animal's corpse threatens to infect the water, but for the vulture, this isn't a problem: it's a feast. With a stomach of steel that can digest diseased meat and waste, vultures are essential to removing dangerous pathogens from ecosystems. Kenny Coogan explores the importance of the desert's cleanup crew.

What adaptation have vultures evolved that allows them to digest diseased carrion and waste without becoming sick?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Kenny Coogan
  • Director Katarina Jukić
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Katarina Jukić
  • Animator Katarina Jukić
  • Art Director Katarina Jukić
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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