Ducks

Ducks! Basically a joke of an animal, if we're being perfectly honest. They make silly noises, they waddle around, they are extremely cute and goofy looking, and they love to swim around in big piles of money! 

And look, you might see the title and think 'a duck isn't science.' Well i've learned a thing or two from those eggheads on the science couch and I can definitely say that you are wrong! It turns out, everything is science! Seems like a cop out, but it's true.

Anyway, we sincerely hope everyone out there is doing well and staying safe! Love you guys! 

Follow us on Twitter @SciShowTangents, where we’ll tweet out topics for upcoming episodes and you can ask the science couch questions! 

 

While you're at it, check out the Tangents crew on Twitter: Stefan: @itsmestefanchin Ceri: @ceriley Sam: @slamschultz Hank: @hankgreen

 

If you want to learn more about any of our main topics, check out these links:

[Definition] 

Duck mating

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2009.2139

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0000418

https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2009.1159

[Truth or Fail]

Sperm

https://www.livescience.com/1279-rival-sperm-hook-cooperate.html

Mallard Bills

https://www.livescience.com/13681-duck-ejaculate-sperm-antibiotic-beaks-110412.html

[Fact Off]

Duck Imprinting

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/getting-ducklings-row-look-inside-animal-mind-2/

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/getting-ducklings-row-look-inside-animal-mind-2/

Duck hearing

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uod-wdd092518.php

https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2018/august/graduate-student-works-on-training-ducks-hearing-fishing-nets/

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pwrc/science/air-and-underwater-hearing-abilities-seabirds?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

[Ask the Science Couch]

Quacks

sounds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/sounds

https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2019/03/04/ask-scientist-ducks-quack-several-different-reasons/3009779002/

https://www.ducks.org/conservation/waterfowl-research-science/waterfowl-vocalizations

Syrinx

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/10/bird-voice-box-one-kind-animal-kingdom

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/oct/12/oldest-fossil-of-birds-voicebox-gives-new-hint-at-soundscape-of-the-cretaceous-syrinx

Duck quack echoes

sounds: http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/duck/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3086890.stm

[Butt One More Thing]

Fly that only breeds in duck poop

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-species-fly-found-breeding-central-park-duck-droppings-180965118/

https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/13411/element/2/12/