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/sci/ - Science & Math

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File: 68 KB, 446x628, brood parasites.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7070455 No.7070455 [Reply] [Original]

does the host ever notice that something is wrong.
why do they keep feeding it.

>> No.7070469

maybe the momma likes to have a giant baby, she's like "holy shit my kid could fuck up any other kid" and she's out getting snacks anyway so she might as well get the exercise of snaggin' a few more

>> No.7070481

>>7070455
>why do they keep feeding it

Because a mechanism hasn't evolved for parents to stop feeding their offspring. Bird brains are pretty small.

>> No.7070487

Have you heard of the thing with innate behavior and wasps?

Basically, there's wasp species that will put their food outside the den before going inside to check for predators. They go through a certain list of behaviors before dragging it inside and eating it.

Researchers pulled the prey back a few feet over and over to trigger the innate behavior of checking the den consistently again and again. It never realized that it had already checked for predators just a second ago, it just keeps doing it like a looping bug in a program.

I think it's the same with these birds. They think "well, it's the same egg so no matter what it must be my baby" and never consider any alternatives.

>> No.7070491

do you think this would work in a raven nest?

>> No.7070496

They lack the ability to recognize their offspring on sight. They have an innate compulsion to feed what's in their nest. I think they call it instinct or something.

>> No.7070498

birds confirmed as cucks

>> No.7070514
File: 67 KB, 545x264, avianmammalbrains_modern.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
7070514

>>7070487
>never consider any alternatives.

They don't have large enough cerebrums to actually have that thought. Look, comparatively, at the difference in sizes of the brainstem and cerebellum vs cerebrum between humans and birds. That's not a lot of real estate for anything other than FEED BABY IZ GUD.

>> No.7070529

>>7070514
I wasn't really trying to say it like they could if they wanted to but can't or don't. I guess it was a colloquial thing.

Cool picture though.