No prey in sight? No problem. With its super-powered hearing, the great grey owl can hunt rodents scurrying beneath a layer of snow two feet deep.
", "is_us_only": "false", "title": "World's Deadliest: Super-Hearing Helps Owl Hunt", "url": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/birds-animals/birds-of-prey/deadliest-owl/", "country_code_deny_list": [], "allowUserEmbed": "True", "related": { "link": [ { "url": "http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0502/feature4/index.html", "name": "Great Grey Owls: Winged Silence" } ] }, "credit": "National Geographic", "smil": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/data/xml/deadliest-owl.smil", "country_code_allow_list": [], "HTML5src": "/video/player/media-mp4/deadliest-owl/mp4/variant-playlist.m3u8", "still": "http://video.nationalgeographic.com/exposure/core_media/ngphoto/image/53060_0_616x346.jpg", "transcript": "Many animals will run from their predators, but just because an animal can run doesn't mean it can hide...from a predator with super hearing.
The great gray owl lives in the Arctic where even in summer, its meal can be buried under inches of snow.
To hunt, it locates its favorite prey, mice and other small rodents, by listening for movement far below.
The feathers surrounding each eye function like a dish antenna, directing sound to the ears.
Each ear receives sound at a slightly different volume and angle, which allows the owl to pinpoint where the sound comes from.
It focuses on unsuspecting prey\u2014as much as two feet beneath the snow\u2014and sets off on the attack.
They continue to listen throughout the approach.
To finish the job, owls have become masters of the dive bomb.
Super hearing will ensure this owl a full stomach tonight.
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