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> [A]nting is..where birds rub insects, usually ants, on their feathers and skin. > Some birds will sit still on an anthill and patiently allow the creatures t
by lioeters 5y ago
> [A]nting is..where birds rub insects, usually ants, on their feathers and skin.
> Some birds will sit still on an anthill and patiently allow the creatures to crawl freely through their feathers. At other times they have been seen to pick the ants up with their beaks and rub themselves with the tiny insects.
> Sensing a threat, the ants shoot a spray of formic acid from their abdomens or anal glands which gets absorbed into the bird's body and acts as a natural insecticide.
> ..A widely held theory..maintains that birds use the ants to soothe irritated skin during periods of heavy feather molting, while another theory suggests it controls parasites which live in the bird's plumage.
- ggm 5y agoyou left off "self-stimulation" -but, other comments note Crows are amongst the most intelligent of animals. I know it is an outsider theory, but..
- jamal-kumar 5y agoOutsider theory? Not really, we use them in scientific studies studying the evolution of intelligence all the time. I think I remember hearing last that they're even capable of metacognition (thinking of thought itself) https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/24/crows-possess-higher-intelligence-long-thought-primarily-human/ https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/24/crows-possess-higher-int...
- perihelions 5y ago>Beekeepers use formic acid as a miticide against the tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) and the Varroa destructor mite and Varroa jacobsoni mite.[29] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formic_acid#Uses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formic_acid#Uses
- everly 5y agoI’m inclined to think it’s akin to recreational drug usage in humans. Crows are supposedly more intelligent/aware than other animals, and with awareness comes existential dread or whatever you want to call it. Lots of humans use drugs to alleviate this and I think it’s plausible that crows do something similar. Hopefully I’m wrong and it’s a more uplifting reason.
- dflock 5y agoCrows definitely get drunk, on purpose, by eating rotten fruit & berries, so this is plausible - although formic acid to the skin seems less fun - but then I'm not a crow.
- srge 5y ago> I’m not a crow I can see that
- dr_dshiv 5y agoMany animals get intoxicated—even insects! I recently read "animals and psychedelics" by G. Samorini. It had some pretty impressive examples.
- londons_explore 5y agoRotten fruit has a lot of calories in it... Perhaps they aren't intentionally getting drunk, but merely trying to get those calories and being drunk is a side effect? Being drunk as a bird wouldn't seem to be a good idea from a survival point of view ...
- lexicality 5y ago> Being drunk as a bird wouldn't seem to be a good idea from a survival point of view ... Being drunk as a human is also not a good idea from a survival point of view given how often drunk people kill themselves doing stupid things. Crows engage in play and form complex plans that show they understand that actions have consequences so it doesn't seem unreasonable that they might occasionally decide to get drunk and roll around on the floor screaming.