A very bizarre phenomenon takes place the moment a duckling gets born. Scientists are not able to fully explain it but the results are unmistakable. It’s called imprinting.
So what is it?
In simple words, imprinting is the phenomenon in which a newly hatched duckling will take on the characteristics of the first animal they see. For example, if the first animal they see is a human, then they will think they’re human and grow up thinking they’re human. If they see a dog, they’ll grow up thinking that they are dogs. (the article continues after the ad)
This happens due to their instinct to follow the first thing that passes by, which is, usually, their mother. Young birds deprived of a chance to imprint are more often than not socially awkward, they may have difficulties recognizing other members of their species and its hard for them to engage in basic behaviors which are common to their species.
This is why, in order to prevent it, when hand rearing ducklings, people often use a hand puppet of a duck to feed them, so that later they can integrate with their own species.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Animals Make Different Sounds Depending On The Language You Speak
Main Article Photo: Wikimedia
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