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I’m in awe of the tenacity of life. Over a decade ago, a snowy owl made its way to the island of Oahu on its own. Sadly, it had to be killed because it arrived
by BuyMyBitcoins 2y ago
I’m in awe of the tenacity of life.
Over a decade ago, a snowy owl made its way to the island of Oahu on its own. Sadly, it had to be killed because it arrived near Honolulu’s international airport and could not captured by animal control. An autopsy revealed that this owl had expended so much energy crossing the pacific that it almost certainly would have died of exhaustion within a few hours of its arrival. But, it still made it.
Hawaii has its own species of Owl. Their ancestors must have made a similar journey and had just enough luck to survive and establish a population there.
I’m fascinated by this. How did it happen? No owls migrate to Hawaii. Did this one get lost in a storm? Was it sheer luck that this owl picked the right direction while flying over the open ocean to end up finding Oahu? Do some owls just feel an urge to pick a direction and just keep flying? Was this one owl’s magnificent flight the result of some undescribed phenomenon?
Perhaps there is some rare instinct which inspires an individual to go on a suicidal journey into the unknown. A species sacrificing an individual to make the gamble that it will end up in some far flung biome and establishing itself there.
The flip side of this story is realizing just how many more snowy owls must have ended up over the Pacific Ocean and kept flying until they unceremoniously perished amongst the waves.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2012/01/details-emerge-about-snowy-owl-holiday-death/ https://www.civilbeat.org/2012/01/details-emerge-about-snowy...
- authorfly 2y agoBesides from the impact of bacteria on entrepreneurship, the behavior of exploring/foraging bees[2], I think the most likely reason is actually losing one or more senses and relying on other senses which happen to lead you to travel in straight lines (e.g. magnetic) - just as moths use the Moon to travel very far in a straight line. Why these journeys begin and end is another question. Serotonin and dopamine might be involved. [1] https://hbr.org/2022/07/a-common-parasite-can-make-people-more-entrepreneurial https://hbr.org/2022/07/a-common-parasite-can-make-people-mo... [2] https://theconversation.com/some-bees-are-born-curious-while-others-are-more-single-minded-new-research-hints-at-how-the-hive-picks-which-flowers-to-feast-on-144900 https://theconversation.com/some-bees-are-born-curious-while...
- d0gsg0w00f 2y agoI don't forget, to establish a new owl community you have to convince a lady owl to come with you on the suicidal journey.
- anal_reactor 2y ago> babe we gonna fly towards the setting sun > k
- BuyMyBitcoins 2y agoIt was never mentioned in the article, but this owl could have been female and might have been gravid.
- Steven420 2y agoIt may have been someones pet
- BuyMyBitcoins 2y agoThat has been ruled out based on the results of the autopsy. Furthermore, Hawaii has severe restrictions on the import of exotic animals as pets and it is unlikely someone would have smuggled one in just to end up releasing it in urban Honolulu.