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The Mystery of Australia’s Paralyzed Parrots
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- moi2388 3y agoI bet they both just sit in strychnine trees. Eat some of the fruits. The fruits, flowers and even bark are poisonous. Their fruits can cause paralysis.
- kulahan 3y agoWhy wasn't this a problem for them a decade ago? Also, what do you mean by "both of them"?
- BariumBlue 3y agoThe article also mentions fruit bats also showing paralysis symptoms
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- aaron695 3y ago[dead]
- AnotherGoodName 3y agoI was thinking Australian paralysis tick in my head but it's too obvious since they leave a bite mark. They're everywhere atm. I wonder if eating a paralysis tick has any effect though? Being bitten is obvious but does eating one cause issues? Both animals mentioned eat bugs as well as plants.
- visarga 3y agoIt's hard to compete with stochastic parrots /s
- Solvency 3y agoPlants are full of defense mechanisms in the form of plant toxins. Even in humans, common/popular foods can contain oxalates which, despite being deemed relatively benign, can cause problems in some people: https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-oxalates https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-oxalates. It is interesting to think that this is a new potential plant defense mechanism, whose cause can be related to climate change, evolution, or some other unknown catalyst.
- ungamedplayer 3y agoArticle misses the obvious. These lorikeets are intoxicated on fermented bottlebrush flower pollen. They often fall out of the tree after eating it. Source: live in Queensland country my entire life.. this is not a new phenomenon.
- unixhero 3y agoI miss Queensland so much.