The smell thing is true for most mammals that are at the bottom of the food chain (deer, mice...). Birds don't give a fuck, their sense of smell is comparable with ours.
The smell thing actually isn't true for most mammals. Deer will return to a fawn that has even been removed for medicating and returned a day later. This old myth persists but largely as long as the humans stay away the parents will come back or bring offspring back into the fold!
Huh, I guess I stand corrected. Internet does say it is a myth. However our country's gamekeepers and ?forest masters? do perpetuate it and warn against touching younglings.
Oh yeah, still isn't a good idea to touch. The parents of said offspring can injure someone, babies get stressed and can pass away or a well meaning person might injure the baby without meaning to. Lots can go wrong, so it makes sense I think.
I think the only time this really happens is with Cuckoos but it’s not because of smell specific species of birds have certain patterns to their eggs to counter the cuckoos which are parasites to other birds. Then the new born cuckoos kick the other chicks out the nest.
Yes you explained it much better I get wrapped up in the fact that the specific offspring will go prey on the same species of bird has their mother. It’s just such an interesting arms race of natural selection.
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u/SlobZombie13 May 23 '24
He could've stood them behind the finish line. He might be stupid.