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Why exactly are these turkeys circling a dead cat?
theverge ^ | Mar 2, 2017 | Alessandra Potenza and Rachel Becker

Posted on 11/23/2017 2:18:17 PM PST by JoeProBono

This morning, a bizarre video went viral on Twitter: it showed over a dozen turkeys endlessly circling a dead cat in the middle of the road. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” says the guy who posted the video, @TheReal_JDavis, who’s from Boston.

Why in the world are the birds doing this? They might be performing what’s called a “predator inspection,” says Alan Krakauer, a biologist at the University of California, Davis, who studies the behavioral ecology of birds, in an email to The Verge. Sometimes, animals lower down in the food chain approach predators — a behavior that can be seen as risky, but can actually help the prey. Making the predator aware that the prey know it’s there can sometimes scare the predator away. The “inspection” also allows the prey to check how determined the predator is to attack, and can alert other animals to the danger.

Krakauer says he’s seen turkeys act in a similar way with a coyote once. Richard Buchholz, a professor of biology at the University of Mississippi, agrees: he’s also seen this kind of circling behavior in the turkey bird family, which includes chickens, pheasants, and quail. Following the tail in front of them is a way they stick together as a flock, he says.

What’s weird is that in the video the turkeys are circling a dead cat — definitely not a dangerous predator. And turkeys don’t usually eat dead animals, including dead cats, so it’s not like they’re doing some weird ritual dance before tasting their meal. What could be happening is that the turkeys are stuck in some kind of never-ending circle, with each bird following the tail in front of it. “It’s not unusual for them to get into those dances where they chase each other around,” Scott Gardner, a turkey expert with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, tells The Verge.

It’d be interesting to know how long the turkeys continued their weird ritual dance, and whether at a certain point they just got tired of it. “Maybe they are waiting to see if the cat wakes up?” Krakauer says. “Definitely amusing from a human perspective!”


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: oldnews; turkey
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1 posted on 11/23/2017 2:18:17 PM PST by JoeProBono
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To: JoeProBono

To see if it will cross the road?


2 posted on 11/23/2017 2:21:41 PM PST by crosdaddy
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To: JoeProBono

I remember seeing that video last spring.
There are many speculations. There are several pieces of music that would go well with this scene.
“Tubular Bells” (Theme from Exorcist) by Michael Oldfield is one of them.


3 posted on 11/23/2017 2:23:03 PM PST by lee martell
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To: JoeProBono
Why is Frosty running away? ⛄️
4 posted on 11/23/2017 2:23:47 PM PST by BykrBayb (Lung cancer free since 11/9/07. Colon cancer free since 7/7/15. Obama free since 1/20/17. PTL ~ Þ)
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To: JoeProBono

I guess we just have tougher cats in our area, I’ve seen more than a few try to take down a wild turkey in my travels near Granite Bay near Sacramento.


5 posted on 11/23/2017 2:24:26 PM PST by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
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To: JoeProBono

Wonder if any old birds are circling Hillary right now? If not, they should be.

Looks like she’s not getting up this time.


6 posted on 11/23/2017 2:26:22 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie
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To: kingu

Literally, because they are stupid.


7 posted on 11/23/2017 2:26:32 PM PST by Delta 21 (Build The Wall !! Jail The Cankle !!)
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Just like liberals.


8 posted on 11/23/2017 2:27:06 PM PST by Delta 21 (Build The Wall !! Jail The Cankle !!)
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To: JoeProBono

Easy

They are playing “Duck Duck Goose”


9 posted on 11/23/2017 2:29:46 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: JoeProBono

Protesting cuz of TRUMP!!


10 posted on 11/23/2017 2:31:50 PM PST by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our one and only true hope.)
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To: Delta 21

FWIW, Turkey are *NOT* stupid birds. Ax any turkey hunter. :)


11 posted on 11/23/2017 2:32:24 PM PST by Daffynition (The New PTSD: PRESIDENT-Trump Stress Disorder - The LSN didnÂ’t make Trump, so they can't break him)
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To: lee martell

I’m thinking “Walk Like an Egyptian” would work too.


12 posted on 11/23/2017 2:33:17 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
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To: JoeProBono
Running low on memory? A virus?


13 posted on 11/23/2017 2:33:36 PM PST by Daffynition (The New PTSD: PRESIDENT-Trump Stress Disorder - The LSN didnÂ’t make Trump, so they can't break him)
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To: kingu
Your cats are tough. :)


14 posted on 11/23/2017 2:35:29 PM PST by Daffynition (The New PTSD: PRESIDENT-Trump Stress Disorder - The LSN didnÂ’t make Trump, so they can't break him)
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To: JoeProBono
IIRC, during the 1984 presidential race, the comic strip "Bloom County" had a dead "Bill the Cat" on the Meadow Party ticket.

Them Dem turkeys are simply checking out a 2020 prospect instead of HRC.

15 posted on 11/23/2017 2:36:28 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: JoeProBono
I think it is a heard instinct that if the cat should attack they can run off without running into each other.
16 posted on 11/23/2017 2:38:34 PM PST by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our one and only true hope.)
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To: BenLurkin

Wouldn’t that be Duck Duck Puss?


17 posted on 11/23/2017 2:44:39 PM PST by BykrBayb (Lung cancer free since 11/9/07. Colon cancer free since 7/7/15. Obama free since 1/20/17. PTL ~ Þ)
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To: right way right

That’s the best explanation on the thread but why are they even near the cat at all.


18 posted on 11/23/2017 2:46:43 PM PST by Crucial
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To: right way right
Zombie Cat?
19 posted on 11/23/2017 2:56:29 PM PST by Chode (You have all of the resources you are going to have. Abandon your illusions and plan accordingly.)
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To: Delta 21

Animals are attracted to other dead animals, especially if there is blood. I’ve seen this behavior, not the circling, when ever we have a dead animal on the farm.

I just butchered 2 turkeys this past Sunday. I shot them with a .22 and the other turkeys came running up and started pecking them. My big tom, called Spanky, actually mounted one of them and tried to screw it.


20 posted on 11/23/2017 3:04:03 PM PST by shotgun
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