4 ms·

It's a false believe. Throw a baby in water and he won't survive.

nsxwolf 3y ago
Are you not aware of the throwing babies in pools fad that comes and goes in popularity? They do better than you'd think.
- shkkmo 3y ago
  Infants do have a "diving reflex" but that is very different from knowing how to swim. If you throw a baby in a pool, the baby will drown and die. There are undoubtedly similar reflexes that assist fulmars in learning to fly quickly, but that doesn't mean that rapid learning isn't also required.
  - geoelectric 3y ago
    On a very special episode of MythBusters…
- Retric 3y ago
  The swimming isn’t what you think. It’s also called the diving reflex for good reason: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming#/media/File:Barnbarn.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming#/media/File:Ba... As a baby I fell into a pool and needed to be rescued. I didn’t inhale water, but as generally happens I very much did just sank to the bottom. Babies can be taught to float at around 5 months, but it’s not reflexive.
- contravariant 3y ago
  I mean they kind of have to when they're part of a species that's curious enough that they'll hear 'babies can swim' and throw babies in a pool en masse to see if it is be true.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
moffkalast 3y ago
I'll test that out and get back to you /s I can't say what the extent of those swimming reflexes really is, but water births are not unheard of. Besides there's literally countless examples of this sort of thing, most prey animals can walk or even run mere moments after being born, cetaceans and ram ventilator sharks all know how to swim immediately or they would literally drown, insects can fly as soon as they hatch, etc.
- datameta 3y ago
  All good examples, but humans are relatively underdeveloped at birth compared to most mammals due to the necessity of limiting skull size to allow an easier birth. An infant cannot lift its own head or locomote for several months, for instance. Just like marsupials finish up outside the womb in a pouch, we have own external phase.

Are you not aware of the throwing babies in pools fad that comes and goes in popularity? They do better than you'd think.

shkkmo 3y ago
Infants do have a "diving reflex" but that is very different from knowing how to swim. If you throw a baby in a pool, the baby will drown and die. There are undoubtedly similar reflexes that assist fulmars in learning to fly quickly, but that doesn't mean that rapid learning isn't also required.
- geoelectric 3y ago
  On a very special episode of MythBusters…
Retric 3y ago
The swimming isn’t what you think. It’s also called the diving reflex for good reason: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming#/media/File:Barnbarn.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming#/media/File:Ba... As a baby I fell into a pool and needed to be rescued. I didn’t inhale water, but as generally happens I very much did just sank to the bottom. Babies can be taught to float at around 5 months, but it’s not reflexive.
contravariant 3y ago
I mean they kind of have to when they're part of a species that's curious enough that they'll hear 'babies can swim' and throw babies in a pool en masse to see if it is be true.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

moffkalast 3y ago

I'll test that out and get back to you /s I can't say what the extent of those swimming reflexes really is, but water births are not unheard of. Besides there's literally countless examples of this sort of thing, most prey animals can walk or even run mere moments after being born, cetaceans and ram ventilator sharks all know how to swim immediately or they would literally drown, insects can fly as soon as they hatch, etc.

datameta 3y ago
All good examples, but humans are relatively underdeveloped at birth compared to most mammals due to the necessity of limiting skull size to allow an easier birth. An infant cannot lift its own head or locomote for several months, for instance. Just like marsupials finish up outside the womb in a pouch, we have own external phase.