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Originally Posted by Nickhead
not the most glamorous of science, but what the **** is going on here?
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Turkeys are really dumb. I agree with the explanation below. They were likely just following each other single file, and ended up in a circle of stupid after the leader checked out the cat and then started following the turkey in front of it.
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Boston Magazine called "Massachusetts' foremost turkey expert," who said it was possible that the birds were trailing behind one animal who set out to investigate the corpse, and then wound up — follow-the-leader style — in a perfect circle.
Biologist Alan Krakauer, an expert on the behavioral ecology of birds, offers an explanation that ascribes a little more intention to the birds. He tells NPR it's "most likely ... predator inspection behavior."
He explains that turkeys, when faced with an animal that might eat them, sometimes follow the risky route of actually approaching the predator. It can help signal to other turkeys in the area that there's a threat, or help the turkeys evaluate how big of a danger the predator is.
"Or it could let the predator know the prey are aware of its presence, which might encourage the predator to move elsewhere to seek an easier meal," he says — "a lot like a group of small songbirds mobbing a hawk or owl they have discovered."
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...ntent=20170302
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