However, it was the Disney documentary that contributed greatly to popularizing the idea. Clarke had used it as the plot of one of his short stories. The truth is that the myth about the alleged suicidal behaviour of these small arctic rodents existed before, and even the science fiction writer Arthur C. In 1958, a Disney documentary entitled White Wilderness showed a large group of lemmings rushing en masse over a cliff to their death in the ocean. …lemmings commit mass suicide? During migrations, lemmings may try to cross watercourses and sometimes die in the attempt. The fame of the ostrich as a frightened bird is unjustified like other animals it can flee if it senses danger, but sometimes it also fights with kicks from its powerful legs that are endowed with lethal claws. Vesuvius in the year 79 AD, wrote about ostriches: “their stupidity is no less remarkable for although the rest of their body is so large, they imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of the body is concealed.” Pliny’s misconception was strengthened by watching these birds pecking the ground, which they do for various purposes, such as swallowing sand and pebbles to aid their digestion or turning over the eggs they lay in their terrestrial nests. It was the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder who, in his Natural History, first published after the death of its author in the eruption of Mt. It is probably one of the most widespread myths, but its popularity is logical considering that it has had 1,938 years to spread. …ostriches hide their heads in the ground when they are frightened? Ostriches with heads in the sand. However, they clarify that it is not that the bones fit together, but that the system is more like that of a hammock, due to the peculiar anatomy of the flamingo. In fact, the scientists verified that it is even possible to place a dead bird in this position. Although resting on one leg is exhausting for humans, for flamingos it is the most stable position, and it does not require muscular work. In their study they discover that it is simply a matter of reducing the effort. Two researchers from Georgia Tech (USA) have analysed the biomechanics of the flamingo posture. But there is always a child who asks why then do they also do it out of the water? At long last the scientific press has provided us with a fresh and satisfying solution to the puzzle. Credit: SceyenceguyĮven the signs in zoos often explain that flamingos rest on one leg to conserve heat by having only one limb in the water instead of two. For example, is it true that…? …flamingos stand in the water on one leg so they don’t get cold? For flamingos, resting on one leg is the most stable position. In fact, some of the most popular ideas about various animals are false. Or do they? The world of animals continually surprises us with its wonders, but realities and myths are sometimes confused in such a way that it is difficult to know where the facts end and where the fruit of erroneous speculations, fictional inventions or even purposely fabricated commercial hoaxes begin. Ostriches hide their heads in the ground when they sense danger, fish have a memory of just three seconds, camels resist thirst by storing water in their humps, and sharks die if they stop swimming.
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