Animal instinct

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Matt Flynn
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Animal instinct

Post by Matt Flynn »

Just read this about SA's huge Lake Eyre (a vast, drying salt lake) ...

"Pelicans are drawn to a filled Lake Eyre from as far afield as Papua New Guinea. During the 1989—90 flood it was estimated that 200,000 pelicans, 80% of Australia's total population, came to feed at Lake Eyre."

How do these pelicans know there is a lake there, and it is full?


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Re: Animal instinct

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Matt Flynn
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Re: Animal instinct

Post by Matt Flynn »

Makes perfect sense, all those bills ...
nomad
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Re: Animal instinct

Post by nomad »

Even the experts have no idea how they do it,
There are as many theories ranging from smells emitted from the water drifting overland to water entering the cooper creek etc. and the local birds pass on the message somehow.

I was listening to that bird expert (prof whatshisname???) and his theory is that small groups of scouting parties go out and when they find water, some return to pass on the message somehow
He basis this on the need for pelicans to hunt in groups.
You often see pelicans flying at very high altitudes, maybe they have really good vision like eagles
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